


Inconvenience

by Setleth



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, I have no idea what I'm doing, I'll figure the rest out later I suppose!, this is my first fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2020-11-28 20:54:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20972912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Setleth/pseuds/Setleth
Summary: Seteth's would rather keep his colleagues at bay. His quiet life is put at risk when Rhea decides he should be in charge of helping the schools new professor settle in.





	1. Interruption

In the lunch hall Seteth sat at the faculty table. He looked down at the small, cold sandwich that looked as though someones palm had smashed half of it. He often got so caught up in his work he got stuck with the leftovers every day, but then again it didn't need to be pretty. It was still a serviceable lunch, which was all that mattered. Quietly he stared out the window, lost in his own thoughts. He had a lot of practice tuning out the noise of the other professors, who were busy squabbling among themselves. For the most part, thankfully they were too involved with each other to drag him into their daily lunch conversations.

That's how he liked it, after all. The less personal questions, the better.

Things had been quiet at the monastery, to his relief. It had taken a lot of consideration, but the decision to bring Flayn here seemed like a solid one. She fit in well enough, and to see the smile on her face... 

"Brother!" He snapped out of his daze, it's as if he had summoned her with his thoughts. "Someone new, has arrived." She looked eager, hopeful. "can we go meet them? She seems rather curious, mysterious even-"

"Flayn, one thing at a time." He stood up, brushing off the nonexistent crumbs from his lap. "Now, you mentioned someone new? A guest?"

"I'm not certain, Lady Rhea seemed very happy though." Flayn said casually, though that certainly brought pause to Seteth. 

"I see. Let me handle this, I will be more than happy to introduce you two later." He smiled, motioning to offer Flayn his mostly untouched lunch. She slipped onto the bench, more eager to hear the gossip from Manuela than finish the sad looking sandwich.

Seteth walked quickly towards where he knew Rhea would take these new guests... she almost always conducted her meetings there, after all. Just as expected, he saw a small gathering under the light of the stained glass window. "Apologies for my tardiness. I am Seteth, Lady Rhea's advisor." He approached the archbishop's side and bowed, though seemed at a loss as to why she would be having a meeting with what looked to be hired swords. 

"Just in time Seteth. I'm sure you remember hearing about Jeralt Eisner," He gave a quick nod to the man, he had heard enough stories to know he had been a most respected knight of the church. "And his daughter-"

"Byleth." The young woman spoke out of turn. Going so far as to interrupting the archbishop, which took Seteth off guard. His brows furrowed at the show of disrespect.

"Pleasure to meet you Jeralt... Byleth." He did his best to be professional all the same. "Will you be staying with us for awhile? We have plenty of rooms to-"  
For the second time, someone spoke out of turn... this time, it was Rhea. 

"Actually Seteth, I was just talking about how she would be a wonderful asset to the monastery. I intend to hire her." Rhea gave a shy looking smile.. it always meant she was up to something.

"As a mercenary?" Byleth took the words right out of Seteth's mouth. 

"No, as a Professor for one of our classes. Something has come up and we have an unexpected vacancy. Classes will start soon, I'm not sure what we will do otherwise."

Seteth nearly choked on his own tongue at the suggestion. What was Rhea thinking? This couldn't be happening, everything had been going so well. "I beg your pardon?" He quickly spoke up to protest, though it looked like Byleth wanted to say something too. "No offense Miss Eisner, but you are a complete stranger. The nobles will be outraged if they knew we were letting just... just anyone teach their children." He added quickly. "And may I remind you Lady Rhea, Flayn is here now." He glanced back at the prospective professor, her expression was surprisingly difficult to read. 

"I can try." Byleth finally spoke up.

Seteth looked horrified, when things rolled further out of control. He heard that familiar voice. "Brother, who is this?" She sounded so innocent, but she had slithered her way back in at the curiosity of meeting someone new. His mouth twisted into a frown of disapproval. "Flayn, what are you doing here?" 

In her first hint of expression, Byleth smiled and offered her hand to young woman. "I'm Byleth." Flayn looked overjoyed and took the woman's hand into both of her own.

"Miss Byleth, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Flayn. I'm not exactly a student here yet, but I'm staying here for the time being. Oh, and I am also Seteth's younger sister." She beamed proudly at her introduction. 

Seteth's heart fluttered slightly at the sight of Flayn handling herself so well... but she was must too trusting already of what amounted to a stranger. "Please Flayn, we are in the middle of an important discussion. As I was saying, I don't' think this is a good idea. Miss Eisner is but a child after all, no older than the students she would be teach-"

He looked over and Rhea had already brought over some papers. "Just sign right here, Professor. I really do think that title suits you well." She hummed her words. Byleth looked towards her father with hesitation, and then towards Seteth.

"You cannot be serious your majesty..." Seteth eyed the paperwork and the woman, who was looking back at him with uncertainty. 

"Seteth, this is Jeralts daughter. I put my full faith in her, and I hope you do as well." She said in a way that sounded agreeable, but Seteth knew all to well that it was a warning this was non-negotiable. And then things got worse. "But if you are that worried, then I will put you in charge of making sure she settles into her role as a professor." That smile of hers, there it was again.

"Yes, Archbishop." As much as he wanted to object to that ridiculous idea, as much as he wanted to protest and complain about how much work he already had on his plate, he kept his commentary to himself for now. It seemed it would only get him in more trouble at this point.

He glanced over at Byleth, who quickly adverted her gaze from him. This was going to be a long day, he could tell.

\-------------------------------------------------

First thing first. He took Byleth to what would be her new room. She seemed happy enough with it, from what he could tell anyways. After that, he took her around the campus which took up most of his afternoon... so inconvenient, he thought. He had carefully planned out this week, with school starting so soon if he was to fall behind there was no way everything could get done in time for the first day. 

But this was his new normal and he better get use to it, he thought to himself. 

After awhile of wandering through the entire monastery, he was nearly done giving Byleth a tour of the property. He motioned towards a large hall. "And that is the lunchroom." How simple things had been the last time he was here, he remembered zoning out eating his sandwich. He was minding his own business, things were peaceful. Now he was watching for any suspicious activity from this newcomer, who was now also his responsibility. 

Speaking of suspicious activity, for the entire tour Byleth hadn't said a word. His eyebrows furrowed, uncertain of what that meant. Was she bored? Was she upset at his protest of her new position? He quietly overthought the situation, when suddenly she spoke up. "You have a lake?" She asked, pointing towards the small body of water in the middle of the monastery. 

"Well, I feel as though 'lake' is a strong word for what this is, but yes." He motioned for her to follow him closer. "There is plenty of mouths to feed here, so it's regularly stocked for cooking staff to-"

"Can we fish here?" She asked quickly, turning fully towards him with the first sign that she was actually interested in anything being said since they started their tour. It was then he realized how close she was standing. She was quite a bit shorter than he was, her eyes wide and looking up at him so hopefully, even if fishing wasn't allowed he wouldn't of dared to tell her that.

"I..." Seteth struggled to get his words out, nearly about to take a step back before suddenly Flayn came up from behind, stopping him. "Brother! Professor, what are you two doing here?" She asked curiously.

"Flayn? My, you are certainly making the rounds today. Sister." He said with a bit of an irritated tone. What was she up to?

"Professor, do you like fishing?" She asked, Byleth just silently nodded, and before there was any time for Seteth to disrupt their conversation, Flayn shamelessly asked. "Do you think that if you have the time, you could catch me a fish?"

"Flayn-" 

"Sure." Byleth answered. 

"Thank you! I shall leave you two be once more. Thank you so much Professor." She hummed, finally letting Seteth go as she sneaked off to the green house. He turned his gaze back toward Byleth who was already making her way to the edge of the dock. After fetching some poles, Byleth watched eagerly as he joined her, and he found himself uncertain of why he wasn't hating this.

\----------------------------------------------------------

Byleth certainly had a long day herself. She didn't ask for this new position she found herself in and Seteth's earlier protests echoed her own thoughts on the matter, even if he could have held back some on the personal attacks. However, he didn't seem as bad as she first thought thought. She was certain Seteth would tell her that they had much more important things to tend to then fishing, but he so easily went along with her request. She was curious as to why that was. 

As they both sat down on the edge of the dock, she absentmindedly baited her hook like she had done many times before. Byleth glanced over towards Seteth who was.... was just setting a slug on top of the hook? it slipped off immediately, falling into the lake and making a very obvious plopping noise, as Seteth quickly cast the line to cover it up. She must have been staring for quiet some time, because suddenly she realized he was looking right at her. 

"Is something a matter Professor?" He asked, and was that a blush on his cheeks? 

A small grin crossed her face, barely noticeable to him most likely. What a strange man, she thought, but then again she didn't have any room to talk. "Not at all. Do you like fishing too?" She asked. 

He didn't answer for awhile, looking back out towards the water. "Yes, very much so." It sounded like he wanted to say more than that, but instead he went quiet again. This wasn't the worst outcome though, Byleth could use some quiet. The students she met earlier all seemed quite outspoken, this was the first moment of peace today. The sun was slowly setting, and it painted the monastery in such a beautiful light. 

"This place isn't as bad as I thought." She mumbled, finally breaking the silence.

"Perhaps, but the path ahead is not going to be an easy one. I assume you are not much older than many of the students you'll be teaching... They need to be prepared for the battlefield, lest they find themselves unprepared when their life is on the line." He began to lecture, perhaps Byleth had spoken too soon. Her head sunk a little bit into her shoulders. 

The quiet settled in once more, until suddenly Byleth's line began to pull.

"Oh...!" She pulled back, before allowing the fish some slack trying to tire it out with the tug of war. Seteth was so enthralled he set his own pole down and watched her technique. finally she pulled the fish out of the water, and proudly showed it off to Seteth. It wasn't very big, but he seemed incredibly impressed all the same. If this would somehow help make her life here easier, she would certainly milk it for all it was worth. He must have realize how far he had been leaning forward, and corrected his posture, before getting back on his feet.

"Most impressive Professor, I believe Flayn will be most satisfied with your catch." He offered his hand to help her get up, and she cautiously accepted the help. "If only I knew how to cook it properly.." He frowned a bit. Suddenly, another opportunity had opened up to her.

"I can cook it for you... well, her. I'm afraid this catch is not going to be big enough to feed the both of you." she offered. She noticed right away how he perked up at her words.

"Truly, you know how to cook as well?" He responded, she was slightly offended that it seemed he only believed she was capable of wielding a sword and nothing else, but she couldn't dwell on it for too long because he continued. "Though I will warn you.. Flayn wishes for a particular style of preparation. Someone close to her made it long ago, and she has craved to have it again since." Byleth noticed that once she got Seteth talking, he was quite open with his thoughts with the exception of her fishing question.

"I can try." she offered. 

"I think she would apperciate it Professor." He looked genuinely thankful as they made their way to the dining hall. Flayn met them there, and Byleth was actually afraid for a moment she would be tackled by the younger girl when she saw her catch. They gathered around the open cooking area. It was already quite late and they were the only ones left in the hall at that point. 

"Alright, your brother told me you wanted it prepared a certain way?" She asked, and was puzzled for a moment when Flayn looked toward Seteth with a questioning gaze.

"Well, yes, but I wouldn't know how to explain it." She said sounding rather defeated.

"I can't explain things very well either, just try your best." She offered, smiling when she saw Flayn's mood improve. 

"Okay, well it was smokey, and salty, and maybe... like lemon? But also tomato! And a hint of sweet, and some spice things too." It seemed Flayn was just spouting whatever came to mind. Some of these flavors did not sound right, so Byleth would have to puzzle this together. She was surprised when both Seteth and Flayn watched her cooking carefully. Every once in awhile she would engage Flayn by asking her to fetch something. She seemed exceptionally excited to help. After she was done, she pulled out three plates, first preparing Flayns and Seteths, and then herself. The meal was a big pile of large fluffy rice with plenty of sauteed vegetables mixed in. She topped it with their carefully prepared fish. 

"Professor, I thought you said there would only be enough for Flayn?" Seteth asked while following her as she motioned the pair to a table in the empty hall. 

"Well, I made a bit of a larger meal out of it than I expected.. thanks to the help I had." Byleth nodded to Flayn, who looked quite pleased with herself. "Besides, neither of us have had dinner ourselves-" Picking up her fork, she went to take her first bite before a loud cough halted her efforts. She looked up and both Seteth and Flayn were giving her a look. "What?" She asked, clueless to what she had done.

"Why Professor, we must first pray to the Goddess, of course." Flayn quickly pointed out, both her and Seteth bowing their heads in respect. Byleth suddenly felt more like a fish out of water than the now cooked dinner on their plates. She bowed her head as well, following their example. "Dear Goddess," She decided to take the lead. "Thank you for blessing us with this wonderful meal and catch, and for bringing us together. After all, meals always taste better when there is a company of three or more at the table." 

Seteth seemed miffed at that proclamation, Byleth noted. 

As they began their meal, Byleth couldn't help but keep her eyes on Flayn for her reaction. "Well?" She asked after she finished taking her first bite. For some reason, she really wanted to see if she got close to the green haired girls request. 

Flayn looked around the table, Byleth could tell that her eyes were little misty, but she held back any actual tears, "It's perfect." she said, and continued to eat completely silent. Seteth too seemed to be getting emotional, perhaps at Flayns strong response. He mouthed the words 'thank you' to Byleth, before continuing his meal as well. 

Byleth had so many questions she wanted to ask them both, but thought the better of it for now.


	2. Notes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth's debut as a new Professor is off to a rocky start, and she finds confidence from an unlikely source.

Seteth's chest felt tight, his entire body soon after. No matter how hard he tried, he was unable to move. Images from long ago played out before him, there was no other choice than for him to helplessly watch those he loved being cut down. A hand reached out for him, he couldn't see who it was... but he didn't need to. The figure pleading for help only a few steps in front of him, but still he was unable to do anything. Screams he had long suppressed echoed so loudly in his ears he was certain he would lose his hearing, if his mind didn't go first.

"Brother." A familiar voice helped him gaining control over his body once more. "Brother, please wake up." At her pleas, his eyes shot open with a loud gasp. He was out of breath and covered in a cold sweat. He looked around... it had all been a dream. He tried to move and feared he hadn't awaken entirely when he was unable to budge, before realizing Flayn was on top of him, head buried into his chest as she had him in a fierce hug.

"I am very sorry for frightening you, that dream hasn't surfaced for quite some time." He said quietly, gently stroking her head. She would hiccup now and then, a tell that she was trying to hide her tears from him, but otherwise she stayed completely silent. They both shared the same nightmares from time to time, and they both were equally upset when it happened to the other, it was a burden they shared.

He gently rubbed her back, pondered quietly what could have caused such thoughts to resurface. The events from the day before flooded back about the new Professor, of course that must have been it. They had a rather pleasant end to their first day, he had hoped that would have been enough to calm his fears. However, something kept nagging at him that kept him up the entire night and likely manifested in his nightmares.

_'I allowed Flayn and myself to be alone with her... she could have attacked us both and nobody would have been aware until it was too late.'_ He realized he was being completely unfair to the Professor, but he knew he had to be cautious. The fact that nothing happened didn't seem to help any. _'What if it's a plan to earn our trust?'_ He reached up and gripped a clump of his hair tightly into his fist, pulling on it. He hated that he couldn't stop these thoughts from manifesting. Exhausted with himself, he tried his best to relax and embraced Flayn. He would sort his own feelings out later, right now she needed him more.

\---------------------------------------------------

Byleth too, had a rough night... her nightmares however, were plagued with memories that were not her own. Unfamiliar faces being slaughtered in front of her was not an uncommon sight for a mercenary, but for some reason it made her distraught. She woke up abruptly, quickly sitting up in bed, her dagger held out defensively in front of her. Breathing hard, she looked around at the unfamiliar sight of her dorm room. "Where am I...?" She glanced around in fear, before a familiar voice reminded her.

_"Why you are home, 'Professor'." _A small familiar voice reminded her.

She quickly calmed down, her hand holding the dagger harmlessly falling into the sheets. Home wasn't a word she used often, and she most certainly wouldn't call this school one either. It didn't seem like she had much choice on if she was staying here or not, it might be more suitable to call it a prison.

No, that was too harsh. She actually found herself enjoying the evening yesterday. A hint of a smile crossed her features as she remembered how happy Flayn had been over dinner. She hoped maybe it would make Seteth hate her less too.  
She squinted at the light outside... she slept in way past when she meant to. Was she late for her first day of class? She might have to cook another meal tonight to make up for this. As if on cue, she heard a frantic knock at the door, and an annoyed voice calling out to her. "Professor? Professor! Open up this instant! You are late to class and-"

Not wanting to be in any more trouble, Byleth stumbled out of bed, and opened the door in nothing but her undergarments. She was also still holding the dagger in her hand. "Yes Seteth?" she said with a yawn.

She was surprised when he stood there and stared for a few moments as his face grew more red by the second, before finally speaking. "P-professor.." he said as patiently as a man of faith could muster at this sight, shooing her back into the dorm, closing the door behind them. He marched towards her bags and brought them closer, setting both on the bed. He then turned towards a wall and continued to speak. "We need to have a talk... first, the students are rambling about some rule. They insist it's 'legal' to leave if your professor has not arrived at class within 15 minutes of the start time, which is absolutely is unheard of. Did you tell them this?" He asked.

Byleth went silent. Her leg was halfway to putting on her shorts, but she stilled her movements too. It was too fun to mess with this high-strung man, she was finding. Just as she hoped, he called out.

"Professor?" She didn't respond, she barely breathed.

"If you left without telling me, I'll-" He had turned around to make sure she was still there, and instead finding her in the rather compromised position she froze in earlier. She played innocent though, and it worked. He made a strange choking noise and the look on his face, she feared he was going to pass out in front of her. This was all too amusing, she thought.

"Professor, please.. I beg of you. I need you to hurry and get ready." He finally was able to speak again after regaining his composure. Now tapping his foot impatiently as he waited, returning to looking straight ahead at the wall in front of him with his hand covering his eyes. "I know your upbringing must have been in a far rougher environment than our school, however you are not a mercenary anymore. What if it was one of your students who came by instead of me?"

Getting ready in earnest now, she smiled a bit at that question. What an interesting way he had phrased that. "I will make sure not to answer like that if it's a student." she replied, she could hear Seteth let out a sigh of relief.

"I should hope so. Do be mindful that you are a professor now and regardless of your credentials, you need to start acting like one. Now please, I would rather not make this any harder than it has to be for either of us." She could tell he was upset now. She had thought it was all in good fun, but clearly he was in a far fouler mood than she.

"Very well." She sighed as she tightened the belt holding her dagger at her side, in that short conversation she had fully dressed, one of the skills she picked up growing up in a mercenary camp was to get dressed quickly. She walking over and patting him on the shoulder and to her surprise Seteth nearly jumped around at the touch, looking unusually defensive. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Ready?" She asked, trying to smooth things over. Still, she couldn't shake how he was looking at her. She was used to be stared at like she was some sort of enigma, and that look in his eyes she had seen before, but usually on the battlefield.. it was fear.

  
\-----------------------------------------------------

  
Claude raised his hand dramatically, as he declared loudly in the classroom. "Alright, I think we've waited long enough. We'll just have to come back tomorro-"

"That is quite enough." Seteth cleared his throat as he lead Byleth to the front of the classroom. The students quickly hushed as he motioned to the woman next to him. "This is your Professor for the year. She is new, but I expect all of you to treat her with the respect you would show the rest of our staff." He noticed Hilda raising her hand. He was already getting a headache. "Yes, Hilda?"

"She doesn't really look like a professor to me... she looks our age." She quickly pointed out. Another hand raised into the air, it was Leonie. "Wait, aren't you Captain Jeralts daughter?" Her voice thick with doubt. "No way." She grumbled quieter.

He couldn't look over at her, but Byleth had to be feeling a little overwhelmed by this response. Seteth knew he had to do something quick. "As I said... you will treat her with respect. She is exceptionally skilled in swordsmanship and tactics. I hope I do not need to tell students of your age to not judge a book by it's cover, I assure you all that you'll learn much from her if you only giver her your attention. "

Of course the Golden Deer would be the ones to force him to defend her.

Once introductions were done, Seteth sat in the back of the classroom. His schedule once again thrown into the fire for the second day in a row. At least he could get some paperwork done as he observed, but he found it a bit difficult to concentrate. Byleth had been so quiet the day before, but the moment she was allowed to speak on her own terms about battle tactics, she was like a fountain of knowledge and her enthusiasm for the subject was unmistakable. Perhaps, almost too much so for the first day of class. He glanced around the room and there were many glossed over eyes. Her knowledge was exceptionally useful, but she would need to learn how to make it more digestible. He took a few notes to discuss with her later on.

The day went by quickly, and before he knew it it was lunch time. "Are you coming with us?" He heard Byleth ask, looking up from his work he hesitated. "I should.. get this done before I take lunch. I will be along shortly." Once again he had no idea how to read the woman, she simply nodded and headed out.

\------------------------------------------------------------------

Seteth walked into the dining hall, and past the golden deer table where... Byleth was sitting. That was quite brave of her, he thought to himself. The students looked like they were interrogating her if there hadn't been plates of food inbetween them all.

He walked over to the usual spot he would find the leftovers at, but Manuela called out to him. "Seteth, over here!" He quickly turned his head and found her pointing to an untouched plate of food next to her. "I must admit I'm a bit touched, if not suspicious as to why you would get me lunch." He said as he sat down, looking a little confused as Manuela let out a loud laugh.

"Oh Seteth, I was about 3 minutes from eating that if you hadn't shown up. And of course it wasn't me, but the new blood." She nudged him and pointed back towards the Golden Deer table. "Did you put the fear of the Goddess into her or something?"

Seteth wasn't sure what to think himself. He glanced back, but Byleth was far too busy bonding with her new students to notice. "I see.." He looke down at the food, looking for any signs of tampering. He found none, of course, but once again he wasn't able to shut off that defensive part of his brain. He could tell Manuela was about to make commentary about it, so he quickly picked up the fork and took a bite. A simple pasta dish, but it was delicious. His eyes wandered to see if anyone else was eating the same thing, and noticed nobody was. Had she made it for him?

His eyes wandered behind him again. It was his job after all to keep an eye on her while she was still settling in, he rationalized with himself, when he spotted Flayn approaching Byleth. She looked like she was up to something, before Claude seemed to interrupt their conversation. Flayn looked a bit defeated, but graciously bowed before heading over to the table Seteth was sitting at.

"Well I tried." she sighed, her head resting on the table. "I wanted the professor to have dinner with us again, but I guess Claude is taking her out."

Seteth coughed a bit on his food at that remark, before quickly composing himself... It wasn't any of his business what the professor did in her off time after all. "Flayn, the Professor is still settling in. I understand you enjoyed the dinner she made you, but she has no obligations to do that for us every night." He carefully explained. Manuela not so subtly listened in, her mouth in an 'o' shape, but Seteth was too distracted to notice.

"I know brother... I'll see you tonight." She bowed and departed, but he could tell there were words left unsaid. This was getting dangerous, Flayn was so quick to trust and he didn't want her being hurt if this untested professor experiment of Rhea's did not work out as planned. They would have to have words later about this.

As he lifted her plate to take it back to the wash, he noticed a small folded piece of paper under it. He flipped it open and smiled slightly. Her handwriting was surprisingly cute, if not a little unwieldy.

> _Sorry about this morning._
> 
> _ -Byleth_

He slipped the note into his cassock. For documentation purposes, of course.

  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------

  
Byleth was exhausted after the first day of class, but she had somehow gotten roped into going out for the evening with Claude. He didn't so much ask her as he told her, but it was a good chance to get to know him, she thought. The rest of the students looked to him for guidance, that was clear. If she could make some in roads with him, perhaps the others would fall in line as well.

Dinner started similar to how their lunch had... a lot of questions. Questions she couldn't answer even if she tried.  
He always kept up his smile, as charming as it was there was something about it that was off. It was the same smile that Lady Rhea used when speaking to her. They both were so eager to agree with her, and perhaps a little too insistant for her to agree with them.

"What do you mean by 'I don't know'? The Church has a hold on the entire region, there's no way you don't have an opinion on the matter. Maybe Lady Rhea gave you orders to not say anything, is that it? Don't worry, I won't tell." Byleth kept a serious face as Claude prodded further and laughed. When he got no reaction, he took a moment to study her. "Wait... you are being serious."

She nodded.

"That is surprising.. but Teach," He spoke quietly, leaning in close. "I think they are up to something. I know there are things they are hiding... you have to be curious too, aren't you?" His voice lowering to a whisper. "Want to find out together?" He winked, he was very practiced at this. Byleth wanted to escape this conversation, this dinner. She didn't know where she stood on anything at the moment, she wasn't entirely sure who she was since Sothis appeared.

Claude continued to push the subject, finally she caved in if only to stop him from asking. "Yes... I want to know." She answered, and his face lit up brightly.

"I knew I could count on you. I hope one day you can put your full trust into me." There was that smile again, she thought.

\-------------------------------------------------------

Finally, she arrived back in her dorm, absolutely exhausted. How could a bunch of kids take so much out of her, when she could do mercenary work until the early hours of the morning? She let out a long sigh and quickly shed her clothes for the night in preparation for a shower. On her way to warm the water, she paused as she spotted a slip of paper laying on the floor.. she must have missed it when she came in.

Carefully opening it, her eyes widened at the handwriting.. it was perfect, like the kind you see books written in or important documents. Was this really a letter for her?

> _Professor,_
> 
> _I wished to thank you in person for lunch today, and for the dinner you made the day before. However I saw you already had your hands full with your students, and Flayn also informed me that you would be going out for the evening. I figured a letter would suffice as to not burden you further, trust when I say I can appreciate the struggles of a full schedule.  
_
> 
> _I also wish to apologize for questioning your credentials, I realize now I should have taken my own advice from this morning. Your lecture was inspiring, but there is a few things I wish to discuss with you regarding potential alternative teaching techniques. I'm afraid the Golden Deer House in particular are not the most attentive group._
> 
> _If you are free tomorrow after class, I promise to not take up too much of your time._
> 
> _-Seteth_

Byleth stood there, squinting at the letter for a few minutes. She couldn't come to terms with the fact that she actually got an apology _and_ he wanted to meet with her in his office... to help her? She folded the letter back up carefully before setting it on her desk and hoped to forget about it until the morning, though his words stuck in her mind. She really hadn't been too confident in her ability to teach, and was expecting him especially to be a lot more critical. Suddenly she was surging with confidence, is it possible that she could really do this? After all, having a place to come home to was starting to seem like a pretty appealing idea.

The Bath finally warmed, and she carefully dipped into the water for some much needed quiet time. Her hands touched her cheeks, and she was concerned for a moment as to why they were unusually warm. She had been around a lot of new people, perhaps she was coming down with something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was sick most of the day, so I spent it being very productive and writing this chapter.


	3. Questions

  
Byleths eye slowly fluttered open. She was still taken aback at her surroundings, but less so than the day before. She glanced toward the window at the light, she was late again. She purposefully waited a few more minutes in bed as Sothis badgered her to get up. To her disappointment, she was the only one to yell at her today about being late.  
  
When she arrived at the Golden Deer classroom she looked over towards the seat Seteth occupied the day before, and it was empty to her surprise. Was she really on her own today? The thought of doing this alone, even though yesterday went surprisingly well, suddenly intimidated her. Her eyes wandered towards the rest of the class, who were quieting down as they realized she had arrived.  
  
"Professor.. are you alight?" Hilda asked out loud.  
  
"Maybe we should take her to the infirmary?" Marianne quietly suggested, before saying. "Never mind, that a stupid idea..."  
  
"I bet she just needs something to eat, we could take an early lunch?" Raphael suggested with hope in his voice.  
  
Byleth walked to the front, keeping her eyes mostly on the floor as she did. "I think I may be coming down with something, but I'll go see Manuela later." She offered the students, who seemed pleased with that. It was new, having so many people who were worried for her well-being.  
  
Opening up her lecture notes, she paused and looked up again. All of the Golden Deer students were watching her intently. It was a strange feeling, much different than anything situation she had ever found herself in before... she realized she was not just responsible for herself any longer.  
  
"And I'm sorry for being late, I promise it won't happen again." she said in earnest, remembering the letter from the night before. For the first time in her life, she had been praised for something other than her actions as the 'Ashen Demon'.  
  
Seteth saw something in her, and she realized she wanted very much not to betray that.  
  
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It was around lunchtime and Seteth made his way to the meeting chamber on the second floor, closing his eyes and struggling to stay awake from a lack of sleep. It took a moment to regain his focus, before walking in and spotting Rhea right away. The faster he could get this over with, the better he thought. "Archbishop." He bowed. "I apologize for the late reports. With the new semester starting I am regrettably behind schedule, but I am already hard at work correcting that."  
  
"Seteth, there is no need to apologize." She offered, though he knew that wasn't actually the case. "Lets get right down to it then, how is our new professor settling in?" Seteth must have looked surprised, because she was quick to comment on it. "That is what has kept you busy the past few days, has it not? Taking care of our dear new addition." She smiled shyly at him as she motioned her hand in the air, the guards at the entrance of the room swiftly shutting and locking all the doors. It was going to be one of _those_ conversations, it seemed.  
  
"You would be correct, Rhea." He cleared his throat, going over his notes. "She has been given a tour of the monastery from myself. I also sat in on her first day of class, and I must admit you were correct. She is well qualified for a mercenary." He bowed his head humbly as he spoke.  
  
"Well of course, she is no ordinary mercenary after all." She was quick to point out.  
  
"I'm not afraid I follow.. do you mean because she is Captain Jeralts daughter?" Seteth asked cautiously.

"Well that is a part of it, but it has more to do with her reputation." She glanced over to gauge his reaction. "Why, did you truly not know Seteth? She is also known as the Ashen Demon."  
  
Seteth tried not to react too strongly, but his hands gripping his notes betrayed his attempts at subtlety. "That is... certainly an intimidating alias, though I have never heard of this 'Ashen Demon'." He admits, and Rhea seems more than eager to share.  
  
"I expected such information to already be on your desk." She remarked before continuing. "According to the former Mercenaries in the Knighthood, the Ashen Demon is known for her absolute ruthlessness. It's said she could strike down any target without a hint of emotion on her face, in other words she is the perfect sword for hire." She explained almost joyously. "And the perfect professor for teaching our students the harsher parts of military life, wouldn't you say?"  
  
Seteth felt ill, he had allowed his daughter around someone who would not have thought twice about striking them down for enough gold. Still, something was not adding up. She was quiet, yes. Hard to read? Most certainly. But emotionless, even within just the two days he had observed her..  
  
"Rhea, are you certain they are one in the same?" He needed to ask.  
  
"I assure you, Jeralt has confirmed it with me himself. An emotionless cutthroat is certainly not the type of reputation one hopes for their child, so I wouldn't imagine he would lie about that. Why do you ask?" She tilted her head curiously.  
  
"From my own observations, Byleth seems... well, she does not exactly fit this description. She struggles with expressing herself, but a total lack of emotions is something else entirely."  
  
"Have you seen her kill?" Rhea was blunt as could be with her question.  
  
"Not yet."  
  
Rhea grinned. "I trust her, and in her abilities. I hope you will too in time." She sounded so reassured.  
  
This information... troubled him immensely. The rest of the meeting was a blur. He was running on very little sleep as it was, and as soon as Rhea excused, him he went straight to his office. He hoped for time to process and research this information further, when he found Flayn instead greeting him. "Oh Brother, there you are. The professor told me you were nowhere to be found at lunch, so I came to check on you." He tried quite hard to focus on Flayn, seeing two of her. He squinted his eyes shut, refocusing once again.  
  
"Are you okay? I think you need to sit down." Her small voice trembled with worry as she lead him to his desk, but instead he grabbed her arm gently.  
  
"Flayn." He knelled down slightly so he could look her in the eyes easier. "I know you like the professor, but there is still so much we don't know about her. Don't make it a habit of searching her out."  
  
"Brother, whatever has gotten into you? Professor Byleth-"  
  
"The Professor is a youth of dubious origin! Please, just trust me on this. Give me a little bit more time to make sure she is-"  
  
"Brother!" She furrowed her brows in frustration. "Are we even talking about the same person? She made us dinner, and she fished for me!" She pulled her arm away from his grasp. Her outburst stung, not only because Seteths heart broke whenever they were having arguments with each other, but because deep down he knew she was right.  
  
"I know." He sighed, looking frustrated. Flayn could read his conflicting feelings on the matter, and gave him a hug.  
  
"I do not know of what Rhea has said to send you into this state.." She got up on her tip-toes, trying to meet him at his eyes, like he had with her. "But we all have things in our past we would rather not speak of." She reminded him.  
  
His face must have betrayed his attempts to hide how very tired and weary he was feeling in that moment, because Flayns expression looked terribly concerned. She reached for his hands and begged. "_Please_ get some rest, and consider what I've said? I'll keep my distance from her for now if you do." she urged him.  
  
"I shall." She smiled, gently squeezing Flayns tiny hands in between his own.  
  
  
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"Hey Teach, are you sure you don't want to get something to eat?" Claude offered again as the rest of the class made their way quickly out of the classroom.  
  
"Thank you, but Seteth wanted to discuss some things so I'm afraid I can't tonight. I'm sure the rest of the golden deer house would be happy to go with you?" She said apologetically. Claude shrugged and smiled.  
  
"Ah well, can't blame a guy for trying. Maybe I'll find an excuse to 'discuss' some things with you tomorrow." He winked, but before she could say anything, he ran off to catch up with the others. Byleth sighed at the boys persistence, getting up and heading to the dinning hall. Seteth was nowhere to be found during lunch, so perhaps a nice dinner would be appreciated.  
  
She bit her lip as she stirred the stew she had been letting simmer since lunch. Was his eating habits really any of her business, she wondered? Was she overstepping? She was struggling to understand what she was feeling over all this, but what she did know is that cooking like this was one of the few ways knew how to express herself. Words were not her strong suit, but that bowl of stew was her way of expressing her concerned for him, and that he should take a break to eat. There was nothing wrong with that, to be concerned for an overworked colleague.  
  
Her face was heating up again, she was standing too close to the stew, she reasoned.  
  
She carefully picked up the large cooking pot and made the slow journey towards Seteths office. She had a small bag with bowls, spoons, and some leftover loafs of bread she found in the kitchen. On her way though, she ran into one of the students that was not her class.  
  
"Woah there! It's a bit late to be wandering around the grounds on your own, don't you think? Wait, you are the new Professor right? Why isn't it my lucky day then, do you need some help?" Sylvain asked, walking backwards with the professor as she waddled towards her goal.  
  
"I'm fine." she insisted, this pot of stew wasn't as heavy as carrying around her gear day and night, after all.  
  
"Well sure you are fine, but that doesn't mean you couldn't use a little help?" He insisted, trying to take the pot from her. She yielded, the young student making a rather good point. He carried it along as Byleth lead him to their destination. He halted when he realized where she was taking them. "Professor, do you think you'll be okay from here?" He asked, offering the pot back to Byleth at the top of the stairs, which she happily took.  
  
She didn't ask any question as to why he didn't want to go further, but from the rumors she had already overheard from various students, it was likely something she would rather not know about. "Thank you for your help, Sylvain was it?"  
  
"Awe Professor, you remembered my name." He chuckled. "Anyways, I'll see you around. And be careful walking around at night around here alright?" She could have sworn he mumbled something about transferring classes as he walked away.  
  
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A knock at the door quickly woke Seteth up.. he had fallen asleep at his desk to his utter embarrassment. "C-come in." he quickly called out, assuming it was Flayn. Byleth wiggled her way through the doorway with her large pot of dinner in hand.  
  
"Professor?" He eyed what she was carrying, did she really bring him more food? "What brings you here at this hour?" He wasn't sure what hour it even was at this point.  
  
Byleth approached his desk and finally setting the still warm pot down, taking great care not to touch any of the paperwork laid out. "You wanted to talk." She reminded him, as she pulled out the bowls and spoons from her bag, setting them out on either side of his desk. As she took the lid off, the entire room quickly filled with the delicious aroma of what smelled like a beef stew with plenty of seasonings. "And besides, you didn't eat lunch." Seteth watched as she poured him a serving and set it in front of him, along with a loaf of bread. She poured herself a bowl as well, sitting down in the chair opposite him. To his surprises, she put her hands together and bowed her head.  
  
"Thank you for this meal, and bringing us together.. it is not three or more people today, but that's okay I hope." Her attempt faltered at the end when it was clear she was trying to recall what Flayn had said the night before. All the same, Seteth felt like something was caught in his throat. The fact that she had taken Flayns words so close to heart took him off-guard.  
  
'_She could have ended you both, do no underestimate her_.' the part of his brain that so often betrayed him rang in the back of his mind, but it had also kept his family safe all these years and was determined to keep him in perspective of the situation.  
  
"Do you not like it?" Byleth asked. Seteth's focused snapped back to her, as he quickly picked up his spoon.  
  
"Apologies, Professor I did not get much sleep the past few nights. Thank you for being so considerate." He forced a smile, and took a sip. What he wasn't expecting was how delicious it would taste, the warmth filling his insides. She was truly an extremely talented cook.  
  
Byleth smiled slightly, taking a sip from her bowl as well. "Mmm, maybe a little too much salt." She pondered out loud, but Seteth's mind was clouded with thoughts he couldn't shake.

"What kept you up?" Seteth realized he was talking to her. '_It's all a facade..._' His own thoughts were making it hard for him to concentrate. He answered the best he could though.  
  
"I had nightmares the night before, I tend not to sleep for a few nights after they occur. It's okay though, I've fallen two days behind schedule so I've used it to catch up." He struggled to force that sentence out. He wasn't even sure if it made sense, forgetting much of what he said seconds after saying it. Whatever it was, byleth had a look of uncertainty on her face.  
  
"Two days behind." She put two and two together. "Is that my fault?" She asked, her tone sounding guilt-ridden. Emotionless, it was clear she was not. Seteth searched his thoughts... he was talking about a lack of sleep, right.  
  
"While yes, your last minute addition to our faculty has caused some minor delays in my work load, my lack of progress is entirely my own. Please do not fret over such things Professor." He tried his best to hide his fear, his uncertainty about her behind a stern expression.  
  
"Okay.." she spoke quietly, the pair continued their dinner in silence.  
  
"I'm afraid to say I am in no state to speak about tactics, I am deeply sorry if you had other plans tonight" He said apologetically. "Though I suppose while you are here, there are a few questions I would like to ask which are not related to your lecturing." Byleth nodded, seeming eager to comply.  
  
Seteth took another sip from his stew as he gathered his thoughts. '_are you the ashen demon?_' would be a bit too forward obviously.  
  
"I will be upfront with you professor, the Archbishop entrusts many administrative responsibilities to me. I have systems in place to make sure that our students and guests of the monastery stay safe behind our walls. Rhea however, did not consult me prior to your appointment. While I was wrong about your qualification to do the job, you are still an unknown entity." He paused, when it looked like she wanted to say something.  
  
"You don't trust me." She finished his thought for him. Her eyes were searching Seteth's as much as he was hers at this point, but hers were not giving too much to read from in return. Was this the expression she was known for, he wondered? A defense mechanism perhaps. As haunting as it was, there was something dangerously beautiful about them. Their color was a blue he had only found in the deep ocean.  
  
He must have been very tried, why else would his mind have wandered to such thoughts? He refocused once again, his body not feeling any better despite the food. He needed some sleep.  
  
"I hope you understand it's not personal, but I must do my job. First, you are the daughter of Captain Jeralt, correct?" He made the first question nice and easy. He watched her carefully, looking for any signs of deception. To his surprise, there was none despite her answer.  
  
"I think so." Byleth set her spoon down, looking right back at him in turn. "That's what I've been told, at least."  
  
Seteth felt something deep in the pit of his stomach turn at that response. This was not the start he was hoping for.  
  
"Professor might I advise you to speak with more confidence moving forward? Especially with such standard questions." He kept his stern expression and continued. "And how long did you work as a mercenary exactly?"  
  
"I don't know." She replied, her expression nor voice not faltering in the slightest. Was she not taking this seriously? He was starting to get frustrated.  
  
"Approximations are fine, but for someone of your age I cannot imagine it's been any longer than a few years. Though I suppose that does beg the question, how old are you?" He returned to a question that should be straightforward to answer. This time however her expression slips, her lip quivering just slightly. Most would miss such a detail, but for someone as observant as Seteth he certainly did not.  
  
"You do not know, do you?" He leaned forward over his meal to close the gap between them as he asked, though not in a threatening manner. He wasn't even sure why he was doing it himself, it felt like her eyes were pulling him closer somehow. Though suddenly, she broke their gaze as she glanced down to her lap.  
  
Seteth quickly sat back, his fingers rubbing his temples as he also glanced away. he sighed, feeling as though he had turned their dinner into an interrogation. His questions that did not leave him any closer to answering who she really was, if anything it only raised more alarm flags in his mind. He picked up his spoon once more and took several sips of the stew, his thoughts softening once more. "Would you humor me one more question? I promise it's not like the others."  
  
Byleth seemed cautious of these questions now, but nodded as she too was busy finishing up her dinner.  
  
"What has compelled you to preparing dinners and lunches for myself and Flayn?" He realized that sounded very ungrateful. "Not that I do not appreciate it, because I very much do. It has proven difficult to make time for preparing food for Flayn on top of all of my work. Since she has arrived at the school, I have relied on the dining hall staff to keep us both fed."  
  
She took a few moments to decide on an answer, before looking up at him once more. "Because I want to."  
  
Despite saying so little, her answer revealed so much about herself, her intentions, more than his questions earlier could have ever hoped to. He could feel a blush spread across his cheeks that he was helpless to stop.  
  
"Professor I-... thank you." He decided to take a page from her book this time, keeping his response short and humble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello I have no idea how to pace these chapters, I apologize. 
> 
> Thank you for the kind comments, I haven't had a chance to reply to them yet but I've read them all and appreciate the feedback and kind words.


	4. Unless...?

The sand giving way under his boots felt so familiar. Seteth looked out in front of him uncertain exactly where he was, but that vanished in a moment when he saw a sea-side cottage in the distance. It was the only thing for miles in either direction once he looked around, but he could recognize it anywhere... it was in fact a place he once knew very well. He quickened his pace until he got to the front step. Opening the unlocked door, he peeked around looking for the familiar face of his wife. She had been in the kitchen preparing something to eat for him and Flayn, but put down everything to come greet him. Her smile was absolutely radiant, a bounce in her step as she closed the distance between them.

He leaned down as she got on her tip-toes to share what was at first a rather chaste kiss. As sweet as it was, he found himself selfishly wanting more. He pulled her back in with one arm quickly enveloping her in his grasp, his tongue slipping into her mouth and along her soft lips as he cradled her head so easily into his hand. She leaned into his touch, her eyes closed contently before slowly and deliberately opening again to meet his gaze. He stared deeply into the blue orbs and was reminded of the first time their eyes ever met like this. As his other hand wandered down her body and his fingertips just lightly brushing the small of her back, he came to slow realization that his wife in fact did not have blue eyes.

No, this was...

"By-" He was cut off when she quickly wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, and pulled him down to her height. Seteth's mind should be racing with concern as it usually was, but this all just felt so right as she lightly nibbled on his bottom lip. Her tongue slipping into his mouth and running along his sizable fangs, and her hands dug through his green locks before finding their target. To his dismay, he stammered out loud when he felt her carefully toying with the tips of his ears. She was not messing around today and was using all the tricks she could to get him going.

But that wasn't right either. How exactly did she know about his fangs, or his ears? His brain was busy trying to rationalize the situation again, but try as he might, he could not remember any other encounters with her like this. Her touch and familiarity told an entirely different story however. It felt like they had shared many of these moments before, as impossible as it was.

Their affections were interrupted by the smell of dinner quickly filling the air. She released her arms from his neck, but just as quickly she grabbed his hand. He immediately noticed the band around her finger and lifted his left hand up slightly. As he suspected he found a band on his hand as well.

"I still remember the first time I made this for you, that was the day I was hired to be a professor." Byleth was eager to show him what she had prepared and get lost in memories of old as she lead him back to the cooking pot with her. He felt only a little guilty when he blanked out pretty much everything she was saying.

His questions as to exactly what was going on were now the last thing on his mind as he found himself thoroughly distracted by her. The way her loose fitting clothing draped over her delicate curves, her scent both relaxed him and drove him out of his mind at the same time, the little glances she would sneak to make sure he was paying attention... she must have figured out he absolutely wasn't by now, and yet he decided to push his luck some more. His arms snaked around her body from behind, pressing her back against him. He just wanted to be closer. Closer to her, and feel her warmth, and thankfully Byleth seemed more than happy to allow him to indulge.

She looked up at him with none other than a smile that even a practiced writer like Seteth could not even begin to describe with justice. But it was all fleeting, as her attention turned to the tide right outside their window. She was so calm, but Seteth felt like the breath had just been sucked right out of him, Byleth truly had no idea what she did to him. It was perfect, such a peaceful moment in time he wished would last forever.

He closed his eyes, leaning down to give her a gentle kiss on the top of her head, but to his surprise... his lips did not find their mark, and she was no longer wrapped in his embrace. And without her to lean on, he found himself free falling forward. Right before he hit the floor, his eye darted open to find himself in his room back at the monastery.

It had all been another dream. But not just any, because for the first time in as long as he could remember... it was a pleasant dream. Not a nightmare of things from the past, or terrible things to come.

He stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, suddenly feeling very empty for reasons he couldn't quite understand. An ache in his stomach that moved to his chest, like he had lost something deeply important. His hand moved over his breast instinctively, he knew this pain very well.

That is until the realization about what he had dreamed about, and with who. His lips pressed into a flat line. Embarrassing wasn't strong enough of a word to express how he was feeling. He pulled the pillow he was sleeping on from under him and set it gingerly on top of his face. Perhaps he could smother himself, he thought, because he would certainly not be able to face the Professor ever again after having a dream like that.

What could have possessed him to have such thoughts? Certainly that was far more pleasant than the nightmares that had been plaguing him, but highly inappropriate to have about a co-worker. One he was in charge of overseeing as a superior, no less.

The pain in his chest returned when he realized after so many years of unpleasant nightmares, his first good dream had not been about his wife. He longed to reunite with her even if it was only in his dreams. If Byleth had not been on his mind, would he have had such pleasant thoughts of his lost beloved instead? He grit his teeth at the thought as guilt washed over him.

"Brother!" Flayn marched in. "It is time to wake up, you are running late!" She looked surprised to see him hiding under the pillow. "Brother... whatever are you doing?"

Telling her that he was trying to end his suffering might alarm her, so instead he said. "I'm afraid I had another rough night." He lied.

Flayn sat on the bed, brows furrowed. "Again? Maybe try walks in the evening." She suggested. "It has always worked for me."

He smiled gratefully at her, gently patting the top of her head. "Thank you Flayn, I think I'll do that. Why don't you head to the library while I get ready?"

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In the dining hall Byleth sat surrounded by all of her students, they thankfully were not prodding her as much as the first few weeks with the exception of the ever persistent Claude. She felt at times every one of his statements towards here was an attempt to pry into her past or find out her opinions on matters, and it wasn't far from the truth.

She looked passively past her students towards the faculty table... It was mostly empty today, only a few professors eating, though they seemed to not notice their missing company. Besides Seteth, Manuela too had skipped lunch. Byleth paused for a moment in thought. They couldn't be together, could they? Something about that didn't sit right with her at all, though she was unable sort out exactly why that was. Byleth pondered, looking around the Golden Deer table and excusing herself.

"Sorry... I think I'm going to take a visit to the infirmary."

Her students heckled her all the way out of the dining hall, Marianne asking if she was okay while Hilda pushed for their mission into the Kingdom to be delayed a few more day. They knew Byleth was like an unmovable wall, phased by their banter. Still, they seemed pleased she was looking after herself, which made her feel only a little guilty for having ulterior motives.

On her way there however, she spotted too familiar figures. She quickly slipped into one of the gardens many entrances, listening from the other side of the bush.

She could hear their footsteps halting. "Flayn... Please, I am suddenly not feeling too well. I don't think the smell of food will help, I think it would be best if I just got back to my office for now-"

"Brother! If you are truly feeling unwell we should get you to the infirmary." Flayn spoke up, their footsteps starting to move back in the other direction.

"I would never forgive myself if you missed out on lunch, why not go join the others? I am more than capable of going their myself." He was tempting her with an offer to join the other students Byleth observed, he was trying to get her of his trail. Unlucky for him, it wasn't working.

"It is my duty to make sure you get there safely. If you are feeling as bad as you say you are.." Now seemed like just the right time to make her presence known.

"There you two are. I made you both some lunch, I had the cook keep it warm." She paused, adding. "I was just on my way to the infirmary, I think I may have caught something." She added mostly to see what their responses would be. Seteth's expression took her by surprise though, he really didn't look well after all. His face was completely pale, and for some reason he was adverting his gaze. Flayn though was quick to answer.

"Is that so Professor!? Well would you do me the favor of taking my brother along? He is feeling ill, and I do not wish to let him walk there alone. Although, I am very hungry.." The girl said with a very practiced pout. Byleth set a hand on the top of her head just as Seteth had earlier in the morning.

"You go eat, I'll take care of him." Almost as soon as the words left Byleths mouth, Flayn ran in the direction of the dinning hall. She turned back and waved.

"Thank you Professor!"

At first there seemed to be a silent protest of sorts from Seteth, though Byleth was uncertain as to why. She glanced over, he was making great effort to only look forward. She was taken by surprise when he spoke up halfway there.

"Thank you for setting Flayns mind at ease by joining me, although I assure you it was entirely unnecessary... I do not feel so horrible I cannot walk the monastery on my own."

"I haven't been feeling well myself, so it works out." She stepped a bit closer to him, but noticed he took a step away from her when she did so.

Byleth said nothing to suggest she noticed that, but the rest of the way to the infirmary was dead quiet.

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"Professor, how nice of you to come visit me at lunch time.." Seteth noticed the clear pause from Manuela as he walked in behind Byleth. A grin crossed her lips, letting out a small 'oh'. He had known his co-worker for long enough to know this wasn't going to end well, he quickly went to speak up, but before he could even open his mouth she was already causing trouble.

"You need some special tea then dear?" She asked, walking over to her supplies and picking up a tea tin. She handed it to Byleth without question. "Now make sure to have this every morning, follow the directions closely or else you two might-"

"Manuela!" Seteths voice rumbled in anger in the small room to halt her from going any further. He noticed Byleth was looking at him in surprise, he had spoken far louder than intended. Of course, the one who didn't seem phased at all was Manuela.

"Oh, you are not here for that..? Are you sure? Well, the first box is on me." She inquired, prodding further though looking slightly disappointed at Seteth.

It seemed to take Byleth a bit longer to understand what was going on, though when she put two and two together she was speechless with her mouth hung open, and her face was flush from embarrassment. It was different to see her look so off guard, it was endearing.

"That is the most I've seen your face muscles move in months Professor. I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to embarrass you." Manuela seemed genuine in her words, though they were directly very intentionally only toward Byleth. Seteth covered his face with one hand and sighed. He was deeply regretting not smothering himself with that pillow this morning after all. Thankfully, Byleth spoke up and moved the conversation along.

"I came for this..." She pointed at her bright red face. "My face keeps warming up like I have a fever. It's been going on for awhile now." Her eyebrows furrowed, her mouth curling into a small frown.

Manuela glanced over slowly to Seteth, then back to Byleth. She looked like she was about to make one of her usual remarks, which absolutely terrified Seteth to the core despite not knowing how this situation could get any worse, but instead she took Byleths free hand and clasped it into her own. "I think it might be as simple as you are overworked, unless you are feeling other symptoms along side this.. I wouldn't worry too much."

Byleth seemed happy enough with that answer, still grasping the tea she was given with her other hand. "Thank you.. I need to go get ready though, we are confronting Lonato tomorrow." She made a quick exit as the lunch bell rang once more.

Seteth stood up, heading towards the door. "It seems I am feeling better, I should get back to my duties." He offered a bow, but Manuela had a displeased look on her face. "What is it?" He asked her.

"There's something I should tell you.. Rhea asked me keep notes on the professor." This new came as a surprise to him, he did his best to hide the fact that yet another detail had been left out of his daily discussions with the archbishop. However, his thoughts quickly shifted as she continued. "For months all of her students have told me the same thing, she shows little expression on her face or even body language."

"Ah yes, so I've heard. However, I wonder how much of that can be attributed to the fact that the students are simply not as observant. Certainly the professor has her own way about her, but that's far from her being emotionless as I've seen it for myself, a few of those time just now right here in your office. While it is true it's not as obvious as most, it is there."

Manuela's silence was killing him, she looked to be thinking rather critically at his words.

"I have to ask... Is there anything going on between the two of you?"

Seteth closed his eyes, trying to compose himself to properly answer that question. To deflect would only arise more suspicion. "We work closely together. I am overseeing her progress as a Professor, nothing more." He said sternly, Manuela did not seem convinced.

"Do you remember that conversation we had before? About the possibility of you getting remarried, that is." She asked gently, moving closer so she did not have to speak so loud.

"I know where you are going with this, and even if such a situation arises I am her superior. Any other relationship other than a professional one would be inappropriate." He quickly countered. The last they spoke, he was at least open to the idea, but that was only if the right woman came along. The memories of the night before came crashing back into the forefront of his thoughts, but he quickly reminded himself that dreams were usually far different than the reality of their situation.

"Listen Seteth.. I don't know what happened to you before, but you owe it to yourself to at least keep the possibility open. I have months of notes on this woman not showing any emotion, just for her to walk into my office with a bad case of blushing. I would say it's clear as day that she likes you." Of course he had his own suspicions and perhaps had been in denial, but to hear it out loud was jarring.

"I am not so sure about that. None the less, I will keep your words in mind. Thank you." He smiled towards Manuela. He hadn't expected out of all people that she would be giving him advice, but perhaps this whole talking to fellow faculty members about his problems wasn't as bad as he once thought.  
  
\---------------------------------

  
After all the students had finally settled in for the night, Byleth found herself walking down to the pond, fishing pole in hand.

She sat down on the dock, sitting with her knees to her chest, lazily casting the line. While she liked quiet, trying to escape her thoughts right now was near impossible without something of a distraction. She stared out with her eyes half-lidded, hypnotized by the moons reflection in the water. Her body stiffened up a little when she heard a nearby footfall. It took every bit of self control she had to not reach for her dagger, over the course of the past few months she had to unlearn a lot of things from her days as a mercenary. Pulling a weapon on one of her students was something she had already been told off about once. The tension in her shoulders dropped slightly when she saw who it was, her expression softening considerably.

"It is quite late professor." Seteth spoke softly.  
  
"I suppose." She replied, resting her chin on her knee. "What are you still doing up?"

"I have had troubling... nightmares as of late." She noted his awkward pause. "Flayn suggested I take walks if I am unable to get to sleep. I certainly wasn't expecting to see anyone out at this time." He approached and motioned to the spot next to her. "Would you mind if I sit with you for awhile?"

"Of course not." She turned her attention to the water once again as he sat down next to her, and for some reason there was a strange feeling rumbling in her stomach. Byleth glanced over at Seteth, who's attention was also on the water. He looked different than he usually did, she had only seen him this relaxed once before.. the last time they were here in fact. She wordlessly passed along the fishing pole to Seteth, which seemed to startle him.

"You said you liked fishing." She hugged her legs in an impulsive nervous reaction, but relaxed again when he smiled softly at her, taking the pole.

"If you don't mind me asking professor, is everything alright? You seem troubled." Byleths eyes widened slightly, it wasn't often others could sense her discomfort.

"I'm nervous for my students." She scooted slightly so that she was now facing him. "We are confronting Lord Lonato tomorrow, and I am not sure if they are ready. Ashe even joined my class just so he can go... I just don't want them getting hurt." She was surprised at exactly how much she was telling him, but he was her advisor in this endeavor after all. Perhaps it was also because he was incredibly easy to talk to, he looked so attentive to her words as she spoke. His demeanor toward her was entirely different when they were in the audience chamber with Rhea, but when she was not in sight he was pleasant company.

"That is partly my fault, there has been an unusual amount of unrest as of late. Students are not often sent on a mission of this type until much later in their training, but I'm afraid we cannot afford such a luxury right now." Seteth paused, his brows furrowing at the though. "Catherine will be accompanying your class. And while she is a valuable asset to your mission, there is some bad blood between her and Lord Lonato. I wish things were different professor, it's not an ideal situation at all."

There was a tug on the line, Seteth quickly tightened his grip on the fishing rod. "Oh! We have caught something." He gave the line a little slack before beginning to reel the fish in, it wasn't anything too impressive so he was able to bring it in without trouble. He held it out victoriously to Byleth. He looked so proud with his child-like expression over his catch. The corners of her mouth lifted as she plucked the fish away from him, removing the hook from it's mouth.

"I'll be sure to prepare it before we leave in the morning, make sure to tell Flayn you were the one who caught it." She placed the fish in a bucket before covering it. She didn't let go of the line just yet and grabbed some more bait to set on the hook, remembering Seteth struggling with that last time they fished.

"..Thank you professor." Seteth sounded a little uncertain as she leaned down to wash her hands in the water, maybe he didn't want her to know he struggled with such a simple task? He was such a hard worker though and took on so much himself, even if it wasn't all that important she was eager to be able to help him instead of the other way around.

"As I was saying before all of that excitement..." He continued, not casting the line and instead giving all of his attention to her. "It is not an ideal situation, but I have seen how hard you have been working with the students. If I felt that you had not prepared them for the task ahead, they would not be going."

Byleth took a deep breath in at his words. She glanced down as her knees fell to her side, allowing her to lean closer to Seteth. He looked visibly uncomfortable with her evading his personal space, the color across his cheeks only encouraged her to lean further in.

"You suddenly have a lot of faith in me." She looked up at him, and without realizing she was giving him a sly smile.

Visibly flustered with her forwardness Seteth quickly broke eye contact with her, but she noticed his eyes began to wander onto other parts of her. It wasn't something she was unfamiliar with, the mercenaries she once traveled with tended to be far less subtle.  
  
Something about a man like Seteth looking at her in such a way however, was far more intriguing. She was so close that she could feel his breath hit her face, and suddenly her mind flooded with thoughts of exactly how far she would be able to push this and very badly wanted to see how he would respond. Not even certain if she wanted this herself but caught up in the moment, she impulsively reached a hand out towards his face. Before it could reach it's target however, she found Seteth was gently grasping her fingers in his hand.

"It is getting rather late and you have a long day tomorrow. Would you like me to escort you back to your quarters?" He quickly stood up, leading her back onto her feet. He let her fingers slowly slip out of his grasp once she regained her balance.

Byleth absentmindedly nodded in agreement, but was puzzled by his behavior if she was being honest with herself. She had never had a man halt her advances like that before, though he did mention helping her back to her quarters for the night. Was that a double meaning? He was very polite, perhaps he only wanted to make sure she got there safely. She began to second guess herself, perhaps she didn't read him correctly and that look in his eye was nothing but wishful thinking on her part.  
  
It was another long walk of silence until they arrived at her dorm room. Seteth had a polite smile on his face as he stayed firmly in place a respectable distance away.  
  
"Want to come in?" Byleth boldly offered, finding great amusement when the color to his face returned.  
  
"I ought to get to bed myself, but thank you for the company." He quickly declined, bowing his head. Before he walked away though, his usual serious look returned to his features. "And tomorrow, I ask that you please keep yourself safe as well Miss Eisner." There was a heaviness to his words that Byleth had no hope of understanding, but the strain in his voice as he spoke that told her it was better to not dismiss his concerns.  
  
"I will."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took forever, so sorry! I've been working on it, but kind of got stuck on proofreading and editing and rewriting a bunch of stuff in the middle over and over. Couldn't really see the forest for the trees, but lesson learned I suppose. 
> 
> I wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who has left comments of kind words so far. I really appreciate it!


	5. Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seteth and Flayn spoilers in this chapter!

He could feel his age getting the better of him, every swing of his axe felt heavier than the last, and they seemed vastly outnumbered. He couldn't remember how he had gotten there, or why, but he was fighting with every inch of strength he had on a wide-open battlefield.

"Brother!" Flayns voice called out to him. He frantically scanned the area, he hadn't realize he lost sight of her.

"I'm coming Flayn!" He called out, a surge of energy ran through his veins. He took down every foe he could to shorten the gap between them. Axe swinging wide to take down a spear wielder that had nearly reached her, he showed no mercy as he stepped on the fallen body so he could more easily pull his Axe from out of the mans back. It had all been worth it, now that he had his prize safely in his arms.

"Flayn, I'm here! Stay close to me-" His body froze when he looked down at her small fragile figure. A sword tip stuck out of her stomach, blood rapidly staining her robe. She looked up, her face full of fear. "F-father..." She barely muttered, blood slowly dripped out of the sides of her mouth. She let out an otherworldly noise as her body was jolted backwards, almost ripping her from Seteth's arms from the sword being withdrawn.  
  
Seteth looked back, frozen in place as he watched the Sword of the Creator snap back into one piece. The emotionless face a woman he knew well looking back at him, the Ashen Demon.

"Byleth." Was all he was able to muster as her wrist snapped again, the sword now heading straight for him. He closed his eyes, holding Flayn tightly against him as he braced himself for death. Instead his eyes shot open, finding himself safe in his quarters. It was the 3rd time he had such a dream this month, since Rhea had entrusted the Sword of the Creator to the school's newest Professor.

\-------------------------------------------------

"Brother, are you alright?" Flayn waved a hand in front of his face, it was only then he realized he had been lost in his own thoughts. His lunch which consisted of a leftover sandwich slowly getting even soggier by the moment. He use to have these every day, but he had been so spoiled by the homemade lunches and dinners from Byleth that these became difficult to keep down.

"Apologies Flayn." He smiled, tuning out whatever remark she had ready for him. Preoccupied by the same agonizing thought about how he so easily let the first friendship he had made in many years slip through his fingers.  
  
"Afternoon."  
  
That voice. Despite the loud banter of the students drowning out any hope of casual conversation in the dining hall, her quiet voice managed to catch his attention as if they were the only ones in the room. He hadn't had the courage to speak with her since his outburst, and here she was instead approaching him.  
  
"Professor." He finally managed. "I hope your classes have been going well?" He nodded towards her, especially focused on keeping a professional front.  
  
"A few of the students are falling behind, but I'm working on it." He could hear a very subtle shake in her voice as she delivered the news. He hadn't actually been expecting a proper answer, it had been more of a question to shield from his ever-growing discomfort when speaking to her. With the scrutiny he had treated her with, it's should have been no surprise that she naturally thought he was more earnestly checking up on her progress with her class.  
  
Good. It would be wise to keep her at arms length now. She had shown so much kindness towards Flayn, and himself. The meals she would make for them, as delicious as they were, he deemed unnecessary.  
  
...Not that he had any say in the matter. Byleth had stopped making them after a particularly cruel remark he made when Rhea deemed her worthy of wielding the Sword of the Creator. She still checked up on Flayn now and then, but besides that her daily visits all but halted.  
s  
After all the months of kindness and loyalty she had shown him and the Church, he still insisted on dismissing her as little more than a untrustworthy stranger. She had hardly talked to him since, and rightfully so. It was better this way, he continued to try and convince himself.  
  
The pain in her eyes that day was immeasurable, it had been such a needlessly cruel thing for him to say. He spat it out like venom, all to protect himself. She had squirmed her way into him and Flayns daily life so easily, other staff members began commenting on how close they had become. He had used the moment as a display of his intentions, or lack of.  
  
She was nervous, the small tells like tucking her hair behind her ear, the way her brow slightly shifted. It was clear Byleth was only speaking to him out of obligation at this point. The woman that had tried to pull him into a kiss one night at the docks, the one he unceremoniously brushed off before that kiss could occur. It seemed she could barely stand to look or speak to him now.

It was better this way.

"I am certain you will do what you must to bring all the students back up to our strict standards." His answer sterile as he could muster. He noticed Byleth uncomfortably shift in place as he spoke. The same tender lip he had once seen smirk at him playfully now only creased down in his presence.  
  
Seteth quickly went back to eating his soggy sandwich, nearly biting his tongue as Claude came out of nowhere, wrapping an arm around Byleth. "Hey Teach, there you are! Come sit down with us, you won't believe what I found." He could barely swallow the small bite he had taken of his lunch, the pit of his stomach nervously flaring up. The way Claude was looking at her, the young man wore his intentions on his sleeve.  
  
Byleth glanced back at Seteth as Claude wrangled her away off to the Golden Deer table. Although she already was several steps away, Seteth could hear her departing words as if she was whispering them into his ear. "Bye.." she said almost prophetically, her attention turning back to Claude as he nudged her with his arm. He watched for awhile as they sat down, her presence always made the Golden Deer table even louder than it normally was. His attention finally returned to Flayn who didn't seem pleased in the slightest.  
  
"Are you ever going to tell me what happened? What did you say to the Professor?" she sounded so irritated when she talked with him lately, but now even more so.  
  
"I am not sure what you speak of." He tried to get down another bite of his cold soggy lunch, but spit the bite into his napkin as discreetly as he could. Flayn wasn't buying his act.  
  
"Fine, I shall let you be alone if that is what you truly desire." She let out a 'hmp' as she walked away, not looking back.

\---------------------------------------------

"Teach, can I ask you something?" Claude spoke quietly to Byleth in the privacy of the library. The two had made plans to spend the night researching the sword of the creator, though she had noticed he was making more frequent excuses to spend time with her. It was a pleasant enough distraction, and it did make more sense to befriend him since he at least seemed interested in her. Perhaps the entire time Seteth was just being polite in entertaining her, the thought embarrassed her in ways she couldn't handle. Claude stepped in when he noticed she was spending more time alone. It was clear they were both still cautious of each others intentions, but they had a mutual desire to learn. Byleth had never stayed in one place long enough to warrant spending coin on reading material. She could only carry so many books around after all, and the space was better used on supplies she could eat or stay warm with. The library was a quiet haven on campus for the both of them.  
  
"What is it?" She asked, but froze as he brushed the back of his hand against hers, leaning over to point to an illustration in the book they were looking at. It was of the Sword of the Creator.  
  
"Even if I cannot wield it myself... teach, I feel like I can accomplish anything with you at my side. Can I depend on your help to lead the Golden Deer, no matter what secrets we uncover about the Church?" He asked with his usual grin, a sly wink working it's way in at the end. Byleths expression was unmoving as she nodded towards him. She could tell it bothered Claude, but he took it as a victory all the same.  
  
"A woman of few words as always. Teach, I will learn more about you yet." His proclamation ended with a chuckle as he went to find more reading material. Her eyes glanced towards the doorway, the very end of a familiar cloak fluttered in view of the door frame, betraying it's owner who had quickly excused himself.  
  
\-------------------------------------  
  
It was now early morning and Byleth was still wide awake, looking up at the ceiling of her room. Why had Seteth been watching them? Perhaps just keeping an eye on her. Claude had been talking non-stop as of late about how there must be something 'deeper' going on within the walls of the academy as well. Then there was lunch.. his silence spoke volumes about his attitude towards her. She covered her face, the longer she thought about this the more embarrassed she was getting.  
  
Byleth had to admit to herself how much she missed their dinners together, their lunches with Flayn. Their conversations at the lake... where had everything gone so wrong? She sat up in bed, looking out the window in silence for a few moments, before abruptly getting up and changing. With her fishing rod in hand, she made her way to the dock.  
  
Her boots echoed throughout the cold evening air. All of the students were sound asleep and the campus was eerily quiet, only the odd guard here and there making their rounds were to be seen... until she approached the dock. She felt a lump in her throat forming as she spotted familiar green hair reflecting at her from a distance from the moonlight. His shoulders were stiff as she approached, he finally looked her way and nodded.  
  
"Professor, it is late."  
  
"I couldn't sleep." She mumbled and quickly baited her own fishing line, skillfully casting it into the water. Seteths line was slack, clear he hadn't tended to it in some time.  
  
Once Byleth was settled on the dock with her legs hanging off of the side, neither of them looked at each other. No words were exchanged for what seemed like a long time. Part of her had hoped he'd be here, but she didn't think this far ahead. She didn't know what to say, and he clearly didn't have much to say to her. At last she thought so until he spoke up.  
  
"I do hope you have been practicing with the Sword of the Creator." He said firmly. "have you gotten comfortable with it yet?" His tone lacked any familiarity it once had. It was like talking to him like he was in front of Rhea, and Byleth couldn't stand it.  
  
"Not entirely." She didn't sound very confident, which made Seteth turn towards her with a glare.  
  
"What exactly are you waiting for Professor? If you are going to take on such an honor as calling this relic your own weapon, you need to learn how to wield it properly as soon as possible. For the safety of yourself, and those around you." Her usual facade must have faltered from his chastising, because he looked surprised. Why was Seteth acting this way towards her? Everything she said seemed to be the wrong answer now, and no matter how hard she had tried to prove him wrong he seemed irritated with her very presence.  
  
That had to be it... perhaps it was her.  
  
She quietly passed over her fishing rod to him as she prepared to get up. "I'm sorry for bothering you, it won't happen again." She bowed her head, before quickly walking in the direction back to her room. She could hear him call out to her from a distance, but she kept her eyes forward. Locking the door behind her once she was safely back in her room. 

Of course a dignified man like Seteth would never want to be around someone like her. An emotionless killer, that's all she would ever be known for. Her brows furrowed as she stared towards her desk, pinned to her board was the letter Seteth had sent on the first day of class. It was the first time someone had complimented her on something outside of her combat prowess. She was so happy when she first read it, but now she was now convinced they were written out of pity.  
  
Perhaps she was always meant to be a means to an end for the Church. Her job was still to be the mercenary she always was, in all but name now. Unable to keep her thoughts in order any longer, she finally found some relief in sleep.

\------------------------------------

Seteth stood at the dock for several minutes, internally struggling on if he should follow the professor to apologize or go to sleep and speak with her in the morning.

He convinced himself it would be better to do so in the morning, as if his cowardice would somehow be resolved in a few hours time. With two fishing poles in hand he headed back to his chambers, pondered the horrible decisions he had made all day that only made the overall situations worse. Byleth wanted nothing to do with him, Flayn hadn't talked to him since lunch and even went to bed without saying goodnight.

Just as Flayn said, he got exactly what he wanted. Seteth was alone now. Something he would have cherished only a few months ago. Heading up the stairs, he head someone coming down towards him. He recognized the silhouette of the young man. "Cyril? what were you doing up there?"

"You are alright! I was just about to call some guards." Cyril seemed relieved to see him, but try as he might Seteth couldn't put two and two together on what he was concerned about. "Wait, Seteth... where's Flayn?"

"In her room of course, sound asleep." Seteths brows furrowed in confusion at the question. He felt his heart nearly stop as the expression on Cyrils face changed from one of relief to fear, and the boy quickly grabbing Seteth's wrist and nearly dragging him up the steps.

Any denial he had about the situation vanished when he spotted the door to his chamber split open. Instinct took over, as he stopped and pulled Cyril back towards the stairs. "I'll handle this, but go get the Knights. Now. Hurry!" He said desperately before he ran towards the destroyed door. He felt like he was going to get sick to his stomach, uncertain of what he would see after turning into the entrance.

His worse fears realized when he saw the same marks on Flayns bedroom door. "No..." He whispered only loud enough for himself to hear. It felt like an eternity as he slowly approached her room, pushing away the broken bits of wood so he could get in. Her sheets which were usually neatly tucked in, were now sprawled out partly on the floor.

"Flayn?" He called out to no response. "You are safe, I am here now. You can come out of hiding." He spoke in as calm of a voice as he could muster, looking under her bed, and then searching her closet.

"Cethleann?" Seteth spoke up louder as his voice trembled, his hand clinging to one of her little dresses so tightly it nearly fell of it's hook.

She wasn't here.

Seteth fell to his knees as he buried his face into his sleeve. Any restraint he had left to keep himself together vanished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been awhile! 
> 
> I wrote a really long chapter and just got stuck on it. So I threw it all out and wrote this in a day. Thank you everyone who has read through the fic so far, I apologize it's taken so long to update.


	6. Vulnerable

"Hey Teach, congratulations!" Claude shouted, alerting the other students to Byleth's entrance into classroom. All of them turned to greet her. She could feel a warmth coming off of them, her precious deer. They breathed a purpose in her life that she didn't have before her time as a Professor, despite only being a couple years older than most of them.

They surrounded her as both Jeralt and Rhea walked in along with the knights. Everyone equally as cheerful as her students. "We have come to celebrate your promotion." Alois spoke in his usual jolly tone. 

"I'm real proud of ya kid." Jeralt patted Byleth on the back and kiss on the top of her head, before rejoining the others. 

"Professor! I heard the good news. I would say your new position is well earned." Flayn ran up, giving her a tight hug around her waist. "Thank you for all you do." Byleth couldn't help but blushed slightly, hesitant to let go of Flayn. She heard a cough come from behind the crowd, and Flayn pulled away immediately.

It was Seteth, who didn't look very pleased to be there. She could no longer hear the celebrating going on around her, instead her focus was on the guarded expression on the advisors face. 

She moved to speak with him, but Claude walked in front of her. "Where are you going teach?" Her brows furrowing, she tried to move around him, but then her Father stood in her way. "The celebration isn't over yet kid." Her next attempt was blocked by Rhea who pulled her into an embrace. She looked over just to see Seteth shaking his head and walking off. She reached out, but the more she tried to get close, the more people got in her way.

"Seteth!" she finally called out, but he didn't turn around. The more she tried to get to him, the more people blocked her way.

"Stop.. please, I-" She mumbled as she awoke, her sheets a complete mess as she found she had been flailing around in her sleep. 

Byleth woke up fully as she heard a loud knock at the door, and heard a familiar voice call out. "Byleth, please wake up!" 

She quickly rolled out of bed, still dressed in the outfit she had thrown on the night before. She had no time to reflect on her dream or question why she was being woken up in the middle of the night. She ran a hand through her hair as she opened the door. "Yes- Manuela? What's going on?" She asked, looking around and noticing the rush of knights running around campus with torches. She instinctively reached for her sword before Manuela could even answer, moving to find her shoes next.

"Professor, it's..." She hesitated for a moment before continuing. "It's Flayn." 

Byleth froze as she was putting her boots on, her nails digging into the leather. "What about Flyan?" Her voice unsteady.

"Someone broke into Seteth's quarters." The womans fists were balled up near her face, delivering this new was clearly upsetting her. "And into her room... she's not there." 

Byleths eyes widened, moving closer to Manuela. "Seteth. Is he-?"

"He is safe." She smiled somberly. "But as you can imagine, he is an absolute mess right now. He's been running around the grounds for any clues, along with the knights." She motioned away from the door. "I figured you would want to help as well Professor."

Before Manuela could even finish the thought, Byleth ran out the door, leaving her coat and fellow professor behind. 

She darted around campus, uncertain of how she was ever going to find Seteth in this mess. Her first instincts were to look in places that Flayn might go, she quickly walked in and out of the lunch hall, and came out the other side facing the dock she was at not so long ago. 

"I am telling you she is not here, I was fishing in the pond last night and there was nobody here but-" It was Seteth, she had found him speaking with Alois. Byleth froze in place as they spotted her.

"Professor!" He called out, running towards her. He looked exhausted and in complete panic. "Thank the Goddess, you are alright." There was a brief look of relief on his face as he almost reach out for her, before quickly recoiling.

"I'm fine, what can I do to help?" Byleth quickly got down to business, trying not to think too far into the fact that he seemed relieved she was safe.

Seteth immediately tensed up again, motioning around the campus. "Speak with everyone you can, someone had to have seen something... heard something. Anything." He tried to convince himself. "One of the Knights tried to imply she may have set the entire thing up just to get away from me." There was a fury in his eyes that was very unfamiliar. "I know her better than anyone, and she would never do such a thing." Despite his confidence, he still seemed to be hoping for someone to agree with him.

"Don't let them get to you, I'll start gathering information." Byleth took a few steps back, nodding before she ran off to gather her Deer.

\---------------------------------------

It had been an absolutely exhausting day. Running on only an hour or so of sleep, she had been able to track down and question some of the suspects. However, her leads were few.

"Kid, you've done what you can." Jeralt shook his head and looked down somberly. "Seteth isn't doing well, and I can't say I can blame him..." His attention turn to Byleth, his expression softening considerably. "If it had been you, I would have brought this place to ground looking for any trace of what happened." 

Byleths eyes glance downward at his words, a pang of guilt washing over her. "I was out last night." She admitted to him. "If they had only attacked me instead, I would have been able to defend myself."

Jeralt frowned, putting a hand on her small shoulder. "Now don't go blaming yourself. Though considering they went through all the trouble to take someone from one of the most secure sections of the Monastery..." His thought trailed off, only for Byleth to pick it up herself.

"They were targeting her?" 

"Exactly." His frown deepened. He could see the questioning look on Byleths face, and responded before she could respond. "Listen... I know you've become close to some of them, but those in the Church have a lot of secrets. It could be an attempt at blackmail, extracting information, any number of things." 

Byleths attention peaked at his words, though her expression did not betray her. "That information will help. Thank you, I should get back to work." Instead of immediately leaving, she hesitated for a moment before giving her father a hug. Jeralt's eyelids rapidly fluttering as he pulled her into an embrace as well, taken by surprise at her act of affection.   
  
As Byleth left the Captains Quarters, she spotted Seteth in his own office standing near the window. There was a twisted feeling in her chest as she watched him stare outside into the growing darkness. His hand pressed against his face in an absolute state of worry.

She hadn't expected to see him alone. Her brows furrowed as she quietly closed Jeralts door, moving down the hall to the stairs. 

\--------------------------------------------

He had no idea what to do with himself... it had been over 24 hours now since he saw Flayn last. He knew the odds were growing against them to find her safely. He hadn't eaten, or slept, or done much of anything since the search around the campus was called off earlier in the evening. 

How could they just stop looking when time was of the essence? And Rhea's response stung most of all. He was trying with every ounce of energy he had to keep his emotions in check, but how could he? Every horrible thing that could have occurred to Flayn was flooding his mind, he hadn't had one moment of rest from his own thoughts.  
  
He took a deep breath in an attempt to steady his shaking body, but was taken by surprise at the smell of freshly cooked fish. He eyes darted open quickly as his heart skipped a beat as he turned around. "Flayn?" His voice desperate.

It was the Professor.

"Sorry, it's just me." Byleth's eyes fell as she set the tray of food down on his desk. She looked uncertain, and it didn't help that the two stayed silent. He wanted to reply, but the lump in his throat would betray his true emotions if he dare spoke out loud. He closed his eyes trying his best to muster his usual strong persona. Of all people, he couldn't let her see him so compromised.

And then she spoke up. 

"I will find her. I swear it." Byleth said earnestly. Seteth's eyes opened to find that she was still standing in front of his desk where she had laid down the food. He slowly walked over, resting his hand on his desk to brace himself as his facade faltered in the wake of her unconditional kindness. Kindness he felt he didn't deserve in the slightest.

"Please... lend me your aid." His chin trembled uncontrollably as he spoke, looking her in the eyes. Of all the people he expected to reach out to him, it certainly wasn't Byleth. Not one other person had, except Jeralt who was tasked with giving him updates on the Knights search in town. Byleth nodded confidently, he saw a strength in her gaze that he didn't know he so desperately needed.

They sat down, and the two shared the meal she prepared together. It was mostly silence again between them, but not being alone made all the difference in his mental state. Silence was preferred over empty phrases such as 'it's going to be alright', when clearly nothing would be alright until Flayn was back in his arms. He thought he would not be able to taste the food in his state of grief and his appetite nonexistent, but it may have been one of the best meals he had ever eaten. The flavor were wonderful, but she could have brought him a charred burnt fish, he would have been the most grateful man in the world in that moment. She was kind enough to make him something, and it wrecked him with guilt.

"Thank you." He finally mumbled, cleaning his mouth with a napkin. "For everything." His eyes wandered down towards the empty plate as he got up to collect the dirty dishes. "I can take them back to the dining hall, I realize the search last night kept all of us awake and sleep deprived. You should get back to your quarters." 

"I'll be staying here for the night." She said as if she would take no other answer.

"I beg your pardon?" He could feel his face flush red and the tone in his voice was a bit harsher than he would have liked, but how else was he to react to such a statement?

"They broke into your quarters, correct?"

"Well, yes." He responded hesitantly. 

"You were not there, which means whoever broke it could have been after you as well." She said seriously, moving to sit on the nearby couch in front of a lit fireplace. 

"I assure you I can take care of myself." He said defensively. "I would not wish to inconvenience you any further than I already have Professor. I insist-" He paused as she looked back and stared at him as she took a seat on the couch. She gently patting the seat next to her.

"I know you told Flayn I am only fit to guard a tomb, but I'm not leaving." 

He dare not think about how long he stood there with his mouth agape, but just as she was about to speak again, Seteth obliged. His body felt like it was melting in to the soft padding of the couch, throwing his head back. His eyes shut as she let out a yawn mixed with a much-needed stretch. 

He startled himself when he remembered who was sitting next to. She had such a concerned look on her face, there was no way he was going to convince her to leave him alone.

"Rest..." She mumbled, her hand weakly lifting up to tenderly rest against his arm.

His heartbeat was racing in his chest and it felt like it doubled in speed as her head slowly fell against his shoulder.  
  
"I realize now may not be the best time, but I have so much I wish to say. Most importantly is how sincerely sorry I am for how I have treated you." He forced the lump in his throat back down as he waited for her reply, but it never came.  
  
The only sound that filled the air was her shallow breaths, he carefully leaned forward to confirm his suspicions that she had fallen straight asleep. A soft smile crossed his features as his peek at her face turned into a far longer affair than he anticipated. Her appearance reminded him of an age long ago, her large eyes and long lashes, paired with a smaller more delicate nose and mouth. He remembered their late night fishing at the dock several months before, and the the more peaceful dreams she often invaded.

Leaning further forward, he gently nudged the Sword of the Creator out of her hand, resting it safely on the edge of the couch. His lips brushing against stray strands of her hair as he found a comfortable position to sleep. "Thank you.. " He mumbled quietly, feeling his consciousness drifting from him. After nearly two days in a row of little to no sleep, succumbing to fatigue was not a surprise, but having Byleth there was comforting in a way he hadn't expected. 

\------------------------------------------------------

Byleth stirred awake. Still having trouble keeping her eyes open, she could feel warmth enveloping her. So comfortable and secure. Something was off though, she could feel light puffs of air against her face now and then.

Eyelashes fluttering open, she looked around struggling to regain focus. She could see green, and blue... was it Seteth? She recalled quickly falling asleep next to him the night before, but remembers little else. 

Her suspicions were proven correct as her vision cleared fully. His face was so close to hers, and he looked just as distressed in slumber as he did awake. She couldn't imagine how much he must have been hurting, he was deeply lost without Flayn to look after.  
  
Her face quickly flushed as he stirred slightly. She could feel herself being squeezed, coming to the realization that Seteth's arms were wrapped around her. She had shared a sleeping roll with men before during her time as a mercenary, but this was a new sensation. Usually her partner would get what they wanted, fall asleep and be gone by morning. No one had ever embraced her so wholly before, even if she had to admit to herself that this wasn't necessarily meant for her.  
  
His arms were surprisingly firm, but the embrace itself was so gentle. Even if she wasn't aware of it a smile crept across her face as she thought about how much she could get use to this. Under other circumstances, she would likely woken him up to tease him over this compromising position he had put them both in. 

Instead though, Byleth squirmed out of his grasp slowly and carefully. She brought a decorative pillow over from one of his reading chairs and slipped it under his head. She couldn't find a blanket, so instead used her jacket to cover him partly with. He was much bigger than her, but it was better than nothing. Her hands balled together nervously as she mustered up the courage to brush some of his usually well groomed hair back into place. "I'll find her."  
  
Sword in hand, she began her search anew. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is very late, but I am so soft for these two it's worth losing sleep over. I'm sorry I am a bit behind on replying to the comments, but thank you so much for them! I'm happy people are enjoying the fic.


	7. Reconciliation

"Do you like Four Spice or Crescent-Moon Tea? I am afraid that's all I have at the moment, I do not get too many visitors." He tried to hide how nervous he was while preparing it, it had been a long time since he made tea for someone other than Flayn. He had been a terrible host over the past week.. though he tried being easy on himself, he was in no shape to be entertaining guests. Besides, Byleths was here on business. 

"I can do that if you want to sit down?" Byleth offered, on the edge of her seat ready to assist.  
  
"No." his response came out with far more of a bite than he meant it to. "Apologies, I truly need to keep my hands busy right now."  
  
After what seemed like a lifetime of waiting for it to steep, he carried both of their cups over to the small table and set one down in front of Byleth, before sitting down across from her. He hoped she didn't notice he almost spilled the cup, his hands were so shaken he hadn't even been able to write lately.  
  
"Has there been any new developments?" Seteth did his best to keep his professional tone despite his disheveled look, and the nervous quiver in his voice. Every night for the past week she had made him something to eat once she realized he was no longer leaving his office. 

He tried so hard to not bombard her with questions the moment she entered. Tonight however, she did have some news.

"Yes." She glanced down at her tea, taking a small sip. "Jeritza has not been seen since prior to Flayns kidnapping. A few other witnesses mentioned a masked figure. I talked with my Dad, and we both agree he is our prime suspect."   
  
He should be happy there is a lead, but it only made an awful feeling gather in the pit of his stomach. He had personally vetted and approved of Jeritza's appointment at the military academy, his record was pristine as any he had ever seen. His oversight was the reason Flayn was gone. 

He felt something flare up in the back of his throat, he was going to get ill and it must have shown.

"Seteth?" She asked, almost jumping out of her seat. "Are you alright?"  
  
He closed his eyes as he covered his face, trying to calm himself down. She was so concerned about him, but only caused him to feel even more racked with guilt. 

This entire time he had been so caught up about Byleths appointment, when she had given him no reason to. It was his own paranoia, fear of the unknown. Fear of her newfound crest, the weapon she wielded, a relapse into dark times.

Now here she was, in charge of Flayns investigation. And on top of all that work, she came over every night to make sure he was fed, and to protect him in case their intruder had been looking for him as well. 

What a fool he was.

\----------------------------------------------------

  
It had been weeks since the search for Flayn began, and while they had a few leads they seemed no closer to bringing her home.   
  
Seteth gave up trying to hide the despair in trying to face what looked like his new reality. He stayed contained in the advisor chamber or his office. The other professors including Byleth did what they could to cover his seminars, but the churches day to day routines seemed to grind to a halt without his oversight.   
  
Something would have to give.  
  
Jeralt walked out of Rhea's meeting area with a disgruntled look on his face, scratching the back of his neck in frustration as he walked up to Seteth's office door. This was not a conversation he was qualified to be having in the least, but for some reason the archbishop had given the job to him.  
  
Instead of knocking, he quietly let himself in, knowing Byleth was most likely already asleep. He smiled when he spotted her on the couch. Alone, thankfully. He had to admit to himself that he partly barged in to make sure there was no funny business occurring, but ever the gentlemen it seems, Seteth had allowed Byleth the couch while she stubbornly had occupied his office every night for the past month in case the kidnapper returned. 

Seteth slowly looked up, he hadn't been asleep but rather in a trance staring into the fireplace. A glimmer of hope in his eyes as he quickly stood up to meet him at the door. Looking back at Byleth, he motioned to move out into the hall for them to talk.

"Jeralt, it is quite late, is there news? Have the knights found her?" He spoke quietly, but the eagerness in his voice rung painfully clear in Jeralts ears.   
  
Why did he have to be the one to do this?

"Seteth... I just got done talking to Rhea. She's calling off the search at midnight tomorrow." That came out far more blunt than he meant for it to. It stung as he saw the pain Seteth's eyes. The man had already looked so disconnected from it all after so many weeks of looking, perhaps Rhea was onto something, and this was the kindness route to take after all.

"No..." Seteth shook his head slowly in disbelief. "We cannot stop looking, not yet. Not until she is back with me!" Panicking that there would be a scene in the middle of the hall in the middle of the night, he lifted his arms and tried to motion the man to lower his voice.  
  
"You are going to wake up Byleth." He whispered, placing a hand on Seteths shoulder. "Look, I can't pretend to know how you are feeling right now, but even thinking about something happening to Byleth hurts me in a way I can't handle. She's all I have." He knew his words implied an unspoken question, but this was not the time to pry. Still it seemed Seteth recognized the understanding in Jeralts words, calming down further as he continued to speak. "The knights will be given their new orders tomorrow, but I promise we won't stop looking." 

\--------------------------------------------------

  
Seteth returned to his office, closing the door as quietly as he could. He pressed his forehead against the wood with a defeated sigh.

"Is everything alright?" A small voice from behind him asked. 

"Professor, I am very sorry if I woke you." He stayed where he was, lifting an arm to brace himself against the door. "Rhea is calling off the search for Flayn tomorrow." He was unable to face her as he spoke. Byleth got up from the couch and walked over, the blanket she was sleeping under wrapped around her figure so only her face was visible. She stood next to him silently for awhile as he quietly wept into his sleeve. He couldn't see what she was doing or how she was responding to seeing him in such a compromised emotional state, and frankly didn't care. He stopped caring about such things weeks ago.

Flayn, his very reason for being was gone, and Rhea was treating it like an inconvenience ready to be brushed aside. What did any of his work even matter without her to protect? The entire reason for his position was to keep all this from happening, and yet he still failed to keep her safe. His body froze when he suddenly felt Byleth tug on the puffy cloth of his sleeve. He finally gave in, looking over at her. 

"You haven't given me a straight answer on this all month... is there any reason you can think of why someone might kidnap Flayn?"   
  
Panic set in as he quickly cast his glance down and towards the door once more. She was catching onto him, this was the third time this question had been brought up, and he had fumbled over avoiding responding to it each time.

Byleth seemed determined this time though, physically moving herself into his line of sight again. Her brows furrowed, the first time he had seen any signs of her being visibly angry.

"Professor, please stop." He sighed, pushing himself away from the door and moving towards his desk. 

"Stop what? Helping? I'm trying to help bring Flayn back to you." She said defiantly. 

"Mrs. Eisner, I must insist-" 

"My name is Byleth!" Seteth turned to face her again, and stared in shock at her outburst. "What is it going to take for you to say my name? Or am I still a 'stranger' to you?" She quickly marched towards him, getting so close he had to take a step back. "Is that why you can't trust me with whatever information might be vital in finding Flayn?" She kept getting closer, pushing a finger into his chest forcing Seteth to back up more until he bumped into his desk, finding himself being pinned between it and a furious Byleth. 

As she waited impatiently for answers to her question, every instinct he had was telling him to stay quiet. It was that instinct that had kept him and Flayn safe... but had it really? Flayn was gone.

Despite this being one of the worst months of his life, her help and presence was the only thing keeping him sane. Clearly she was still very hurt by his past words. If he pushed back, would she distance herself from him again? 

He slowly reached up, both of his hands now wrapped around her arms. He was certain to be gentle, and she could easily be able to break away if she wanted to, but all the same he realized it was pretty intrusive contact. Byleth looked as if she was fighting a fight or flight response because of it, and prepared himself to get kicked.   
  
She took several deep breaths all the while keeping her eyes locked onto his, but to his surprise she didn't pull away. Seteth pressed his luck further, turning the tables on her as he leaned into her personal space. The fact that her face was so close was not lost on him, his lips speaking only above a whisper as he spoke in her ear. "Her blood... is rare. And dangerous." He spoke quietly into her ear. 

"I... don't understand." Byleth shook her head in confusion, Seteth wasn't surprised by that at all of course. He was being purposefully vague. 

"There are few who would understand that. And if the culprits know about such secrets, I fear what they could do with that knowledge. They might very well have the upper hand on us.. with that in mind, you were absolutely correct that I should have shared this with you before." His hand slid down her arm, before they fell back down to his sides. "I only kept that information from you to protect Flayn. It was not because I do not trust you. Far from it in fact, you are the only other person beside Rhea who knows about this in the entire monastery."  
  
Seteth waited nervously as he watched for Byleths reaction... she didn't seem angry anymore, though she did seem very confused, and some other emotion that he couldn't understand. Perhaps she didn't understand how to express it.

She finally stepped backwards toward the door. "...I won't return until I have her." She warned. Before Seteth could say anything in response, she had darted out. 

\-------------------------------------------------------

The next few hours were a blur in Byleth's memory. A string of leads took her to check a room she had looked in many times for the past month. However, this time she found Manuela on the ground. Thankfully she was alive, and had left just enough clues to help track down their target. 

Byleth had her Deer with her for support, but this felt strangely personal for the former mercenary. She had taken many lives, but just took out targets as needed for payment. Her blood ran fire hot when she spotted the self-proclaimed death knight taunt her from the safety of several barriers. Flayns frail form sprawled out on the ground along with another student, though they were both within range of the Death Knights scythe.   
  
She could hear his smug laugh echo in the large chambers as she cut down one ambushing bandit after another. The students stayed in small groups, navigating the maze to try and find a way to get their teacher to the center.   
  
"Coward." Byleth growled the words to the armored kidnapper still hiding behind one last gate, lifting the Sword of the Creator to her side. Ashe called out from afar, alerting her that he had found the right switch, which cued the Death Knight to dig his heels deep into his horse sides, charging at full speed at Byleth just as the gates opened.

She was off-balance by the speed of the charge, but found the strength to try and roll out of the way to avoid being trampled. Instead though, the Death Knight caught hold of her ankle, dragging Byleth along side him. Everything felt like it was happening in slow motion and she watched the Sword of the Creator helplessly fall out of her reach. Her eyes widened, using her upper body strength to try and stay as far out of the horses stride as possible.

It was hard to focus with the blood rushing to her face. She could see that the Death Knight was charging straight ahead. He was trying to escape, he really was nothing but a coward. The students were already way out of range to help her, and she knew if she let him take her she was as good as dead. Byleth frantically scanned his armor for a weak spot. Thankfully one was within her reach. Withdrawing her dagger, she plunged it deep into an exposed part of the man's thigh. The Death Knight howling in pain, his grip on her ankle tightening momentarily before flinging Byleth as far away from him as he could.   
Byleth saw the Death Knight riding away from her, then suddenly everything went back.

\------------------------------------------

She woke up to very blurry looking versions of her students surrounding her, worried looks on their face. Marianne was next to her apologizing every few moments while she healed her wounds. Her vision was blurred for the very little she could open her eyes, and she felt like she had the worst headache she had ever had.

"Um.. your ankle might be a little sore. You shouldn't stand on it for too long." Marianne meekly gave her an update on her condition. "And the injury on the back of your head will take time to clear up, I would suggest bed rest for awhile. Sorry I couldn't do better.." 

Claude smiled with relief, brushing his hand along the professors forehead to move her bangs out of the way and setting a cool rag down on it. She let out a soft sigh from the small relief of pain it brought. "This should help with your head teach...I heard you were amazing out there." He said in awe. "We got Manuela taken care of and-"

Byleths eyes widened in panic, she was too weak to lift her head, but she shifted it slightly to try and get a better look around. "Flayn?" She asked. 

"She's safe and sound and being looked at by Mercedes as we speak." Hilda answered. "We are holding off on telling Seteth until we make sure she's in good shape."

"So he doesn't bother the healers." Claude added with an eyeroll. 

"Oh give him a break, he's been worried to death over Flayn. I bet Seteth is going to be so happy when he finds out she's safe." Hilda chuckled, but gasped in surprise along with the other deer as she looked back toward Byleth.

"What's wrong?" She asked weakly towards the group. 

"Uh... are you feeling okay professor? Maybe she hit that wall harder than we thought." Hilda whispered, but Byleth could hear it clearly. 

"Teach, you're smiling." Claude explained, but spoke in disbelief. "You should do that more often, it suites you."

Byleths smile slowly faded as her exhaustion took her. She fell back asleep as Marianne finished her last round of healing, despite wanting so badly to see Seteth's reaction when he found out Flayn was okay. 

  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------

Seteth too had given in to his exhaustion, he had barely gotten any sleep for the past month. In truth while Byleth was there guarding him, he took it upon himself to stay awake in case any intruders dare enter. 

"Hey uh... Seteth?" He felt someone shake him awake. He looked up, surprised to see Claude looking down at him. 

He squinted in confusion for a moment, before realization came to him. 

"What are you doing- wait, where is Byleth? Is she alright?" He jumped to his feet, searching Claudes face for clues. Unfortunately, he was a difficult to read, being one that wasn't easily swept up in his emotions.

"Teach? She got a pretty nasty bump on the head and her ankle has seen better days, but otherwise she's fine." He assured him with a wink, before adding. "She told me she promised to not come back until she found Flayn." 

Seteth's eyes teared up as he listened to the young man joyfully deliver the good news. "And would you believe it? She actually found her. Come on, I'll take her to you."

In a moment of breaking his carefully crafted persona, he ran ahead of Claude and straight into the infirmary. 

"Flayn!" He called out loudly.

Claude rushing behind him and quickly shushing him. "Quiet, you are going to wake up teach." His concern very apparent on his face, Seteth slowly followed his gaze down to the bed further from the door.

Byleth laid still in it, out cold. Seteth stared silently, trying to process what exactly she had gone through earlier. He was snapped out of it by a small frail frame wrapping her hands tightly around his waist. "Brother! I'm so sorry." She said muffled into his robes, clearly emotional. 

He sat down on the side of the bed, scooping Flayn up in his arms like a small child, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for him to do. He rocked her in his arms and spoke quietly. "I will not have you apologizing Flayn.." He struggled to stifle his own tears. "It is me who should be offering apologies. I wasn't able to protect you." His voice cracking halfway through his words.

"Now now." Seteth jumped slightly at the feeling of Claude patting his back. "Don't be so hard on yourself, she's back safe after all." He tried to cheer them both up. Flayn smiled, rubbing her sleeve against her face. 

"I suppose you are right.." she mumbled. "Truly, it was the Professor who saved me?"

"That's right." Claude said proudly. "You should have seen how fired up she was when she fought the Death Knight."

Seteth kept unusually quiet as the two of them talked. Lost in his own thoughts again, though very much aware of the topic at hand. Byleth had never previously returned from a mission this banged up before. Had she put herself in such harms way to assure Flayns safe return? He glanced up for a moment to check on Byleth as he realized Claude was speaking to him.

"And would you believe the *smile* on Teaches face when we were talking about how happy you'd be to see Flayn. I've never seen her do anything more than a smirk." Claude added with a chuckle. Flayns eyes grew wide at the story, looking over to Seteth with a confused look.

They had both seen her smile before. Several times, in fact. Manuela really hadn't been exaggerating the last time they had spoke about how little she emoted around the others.

Claude sighed and rested his arms behind his head. "Well it's reaaally early in the morning, and we were up all night on that mission. And poor teach is still in bad shape... can I relay word that class is canceled for today?" He looked hopefully at Seteth.

Was he really fishing for a day off? 

Oh, who was he kidding? Seteth was in far too good of a mood right now to argue the point. "Your class has done well in bringing my sister back safely.. I think you all deserve a day or two off."

Claude looked shocked when Seteth just casually threw in a bonus second day. "Hey, teach was right! You are not so bad as I took you for." Was that an insult...?

"I'll leave you two alone." Claude excused himself quickly now that he knew he was free.  
  
Seteh and Flayn both stayed quiet for a long while, mentally exhausted.  
  
"I understand if you are not ready to speak about your time, but... are you okay?" He asked softly, trying not to pry for too many details too quickly.

As if reading his mind, she replied. "They took my blood." Her grip on his sleeve tightened. "I really thought we were safe here... when will this end? Is asking for a life of normalcy too much to ask? " 

Impulsively, Seteth tightened his grip on her as well. He was so afraid to let her go, even while they were in the same room together. He stayed quiet, not answering her question, but instead devising a plan. "It's too dangerous to stay here any longer. I'm afraid once you are fully recovered we must leave immediately."

"No!" Flayn protested almost before Seteth was done with his thought. "Not again, never again!"

"Don't make this harder than it has to be-"

"I will not leave brother! What about everyone here? All of my friends... the Professor?" She crossed her arms in anger, scooting out of Seteth's lap so she could protest by looking towards the wall. 

\----------------------------------------------------------

Byleth could hear them talking... the two voices she had grown so familiar hearing. Her eyes were heavy still. She honestly couldn't remember ever feeling this tired in her life, but she knew Flayn and Seteth were very close. 

"Never again!" She tried to piece together what they were talking about. "Don't make this harder than it has to be." "What about everyone here? All of my friends... and the Professor?" Panic set in, did Seteth want to leave?

Her mind began to race, she had to stop them. They couldn't leave, because.. because why?

It wasn't really any of her business if they left, but even the very thought of them not being around was too much for her to bear. 

Suddenly, she felt someone take her hand into theirs. "Professor?" He called out, it was Seteth. His hand was so warm and surprisingly gentle... just like they had been earlier when he gripped her arms. She felt another hand, this one much smaller, rest on her shoulder. "Professor, are you alright?" It was Flayn. she must be doing well if she was able to get out of bed.

"S-stay." She took all of her strength to mumble, her fingers weakly squeezing Seteth's hand.

To her surprise, she felt him squeeze her hand back. Her eyes squinted open only enough to tell he was hovering over her. "Byleth, you risked your life to save Flayn... you brought her back to me safely. I owe you a debt I could never hope to repay." He paused for a moment, before finishing his thought. "If your wish is for us to stay, then that is what we will do.

A little shadow peeked into her line of vision. "It would be safest if I was with the professor more during the day. Perhaps I could join her class? I cannot imagine a place on the grounds where I would be safer than in her classroom."

Seteth let out a suffering sigh.

"We can talk about it when you both are feeling better, alright?" 

She didn't know if Flayn replied, because the temptation of rest overtook her. She drifted back into a deep slumber, though this time the smile on her face remained. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh, this is slightly intimidating to post right now. So many amazing Setleth fics have updated in the past few days! Please go read them all if you haven't already... I cannot get enough of this ship. Thank you all for the wonderful quarantine meals.
> 
> Anyways, this chapter ended up covering a lot more than I first thought it would. I decided to wrap everything up so that next few chapters can be much more light-hearted and full of maximum fluff. 
> 
> Thank you guys for the really kind comments, they mean a lot!


	8. Desire

Byleth groaned as she woke up from what felt like the worst hangover ever. She was very lucky to have gotten away with only the injuries she had.. but it didn't make her feel any better. 

Well the healers that had visited her through the night certainly did, but her head was still pounding all the same.  
She squinted at the sunlight beaming into the room. Usually she welcomed it, but today was not one of those days. 

"Miss Eisner?" She heard from the door as she slowly opened. Her eyes glanced over, finally able to see clearly again. Most of her face except for her eyes were childishly hiding under the covers, concealing a blush.

He had brought her breakfast it seems, but most importantly.. he was smiling. 

"I will advise you to temper your expectations, but I thought I would return the favor for all those wonderful meals you've prepared for myself and Flayn." He set the tray down on the nightstand next to her bed, pulling up a chair next to her. 

It smelled absolutely irresistible, the distinct scent of spices from his favorite blend of tea dancing off his breath as he drew near.... And the breakfast smelled good as well.

His tone suddenly was much somber as he bowed his head. "I owe you an apology for my behavior Professor." He began. Byleth wanted to stop him, there was no need to apologize in her eyes, but it was clear this was something he was wanting to get off his chest. And as much as she didn't want to admit it, she still held a grudge for his previous comments about her qualifications or trustworthiness.

"The kindness you have shown both me and Flayn since you arrived has been.. unquestionably selfless." His hands nervously fidgeted together. "My behavior towards you at times certainly has not been. I said some hurtful things I regret. And to think, you ended up in this state to return Flayn safely... I'm not sure if I can properly articulate how much such an act means to me." Byleth watched as Seteth spoke to her candidly for the first time. He had put up a lot of barriers, likely to protect himself and his sister, but she could see now that he was really a man who wears his heart on his sleeve.

It was both refreshing and terrifying to know every word he spoke he meant in earnest. 

He looked down, adjusting in the chair some. "I am also sorry for holding back information vital to your investigation. I need you to know what I told you was not spoken lightly, and that information getting out anymore than it already has could put both me and her in grave danger." Those words caught Byleths attention, who struggle to push herself up into a sitting position on the bed now. Her chest tightened when he leaped out of the chair to assist her.

"Careful now, and promise me you won't overdo it today? I have canceled your classes for the next two days to the delight of the students, so please take all the time you need to rest." He spoke as his arm cradled her back, easing her gently against the headboard. 

She caught herself staring at him. She felt like a child suddenly. Byleth was not one to be shy around men, but something about the way he was treating her right now was foreign.

He suddenly looked flustered himself, covering his mouth with his hand. "I just realized I have been rambling nonstop since I got in here. I have yet given you a chance to speak. How are you feeling?" He asked, now giving his full attention to her.

She liked this.

"My head really hurts." she replied weakly. "But I'm alright. How is Flayn?" 

"She has made a full recovery, it seems those allied with the Death Knight were only after her blood after all. Though that does remind me, I have something to ask of you."

"Leave it to me." She responded almost immediately. 

"I haven't even told you what it is I need yet!"

Byleth almost let out a gasp as Seteth actually chuckled the words out. She wasn't sure what was so funny, but she decided that she very much wanted to hear it again. And the grin he flashed her while he spoke.. what was going on? 

"Well.. fine." He continued. "I wanted Flayn to feel at home once more after all she had gone through. I asked her what she wanted, and her response was a feast of fish. So tomorrow we'll be holding a finishing tourney." He suddenly sounded so serious, then again fishing matters could be very serious she rationalized.

"If you are feeling up to it, faculty and the knights are welcome to compete alongside the students." He certainly knew how to tempt a woman. 

"I hope you know I'll win if I enter." she responded flatly. 

"I'm counting on it, I want Flayn to be happy after all. Which is why I'm hoping you'll rest a lot today so you will be able to make it tomorrow." He carefully took her hand into his like he had done the night before. He was smiling at her again, she really had never seen him like this before. 

"Promise me?" His voice was so comforting.

"...Fine." She so easily gave in. There was a lot of things to get done. Gardening, teaching, making dinner. Her eyes glanced over to the breakfast he brought earlier, only remembering it now. Seteth seemed to notice, and to her dismay he let her hand slip out of his grip so he could balance the tray in her lap. 

"Very good, then I will expect you to eat well and rest for the remainder of the day." His hand so very naturally found it's way to the back of her head, his thumb gently stroking her hair around the newly healed injury. Byleth froze up at such familiar gesture, glancing up with a spoonful of food already in her mouth. She quickly regretted her actions when he recoiled into his more practiced stance.

Arms now crossed in front of him, her cleared his throat. "Well I will leave you to rest. I'll leave my office door open, so call if you need anything. I'm afraid Manuela is still recovering herself in... another professors room." He casually threw in that tid-bit, before heading to the door. 

"Seteth?" She called just before he was out of the door.

"Yes?" he looked back.

"It's good. Thank you." She motioned to the plate of food.

"Please let me be the one to thank you today." Her plan worked, she was able to see his smile one last time before heading back to his office.

She really hoped his change of attitude wasn't all because Flayn had returned. She wanted see much more of this side to him. 

A whole lot more. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

  
Seteth had fallen into a deep slumber at his desk of all places. It was the forbidden spot to sleep in his eyes, but after a sleepless night of checking in and out on Byleth and the relief of having Flayn by his side once more had caught up with him. 

His eyes shot open when he heard a familiar scream coming from outside.

"Flayn?" He said in a whisper, looking around frantically. She was not with him, he swung around desperately trying to look out the window. "Flayn!" He called out, certain that she had been taken from him again only to find her squealing with joy. 

The noise he had heard so deep in his sleep was not a frantic cry... but a cry of joy, something he hadn't hear from her in so long he realized he no longer recognized it. 

He watched quietly as Byleth held a fish in her arms, Flayn jumping up and down in excitement over seeing it. That must have been the fish she wouldn't stop asking about for so many years. It seems his little families savior had come through for them yet again.

The other fishing competitors looked absolutely defeated at Flayns response to Byleths catch, Capsar tossing his fishing poll aside in frustration. 

"Everyone - a winner, because - eat fish tonight!" Her words were not completely clear, but he could gather enough from her shouting to fill in the blanks. Flayn flailed her arms in the air, trying to reassure the disgruntled participants, she was so thoughtful. Ralphael looked more excited than Flayn for a moment. 

"Count me in!" Ralpahel's voice traveled, he could hear him as clearly as if the student was in his office.

Seteth held his breath as Ralphael easily lifted Flayn onto his shoulders. His worries eased when he saw how happy she looked and the secure grip he had to make sure she didn't fall. Even if she was too far away to make out distinct features, her body language was so different than it had been over the past year.

He wanted very much to go join them and to share Flayns happiness, but convinced himself that he didn't want to ruin her fun. 

Byleth stayed behind, talking to each of the students she had just beaten. He watched as one by one their spirits lifted, heading in to celebrate and eat their catches.

He was almost about to turn around and get back to the work he fell asleep in the middle of, when he spotted Dimitri approach Byleth.

He really shouldn't be spying on her, but as he thought this he quietly watched without any attempt to turn away.

His hand quickly covered his mouth, before running down his face to stroke his beard. 

Dimitri handed her something. And Byleth looked surprised? Shy? He couldn't tell from that distance.

He watched carefully, now shifting his weight from one foot to the next, his other hand idly picking at a loose thread on his uniform. Dimitri was now bowing deeply, taking Byleths hand. Seteths eyebrows narrowed, nervously fidgeting now with the fitting of his gauntlets on his arm as he saw him lean down to kiss the top of her hand.

He turned around on his heel, quickly retreating once more to his chair. He couldn't torture himself watching any longer.  
Was there something between those two that he didn't realize? There was a good chance, a man in Dimitri's position could take anyone he wished as his bride. 

He picked up his quill and began to write, quickly finding it difficult to focus. He hovered the quill tip slightly over the paper. Did Dimitri write her love letters? He mulled over the fact that he could write about love much better than someone who was so young, Seteth rationalized. He had experience on his side. After all, he had successfully courted a woman before.

The pooling ink on the tip of the pin finally fell onto the paper, bringing him back to reality.

What was he getting so flustered for? It was none of his business who was courting Byleth or not, but every time the thought passed his mind he felt so much unease.

What a foolish dragon he was, so eager to posture for Byleth. 

His mind wandered again, imagining what she might look like with her sights set on him. What would she think of his display? He ran a hand through a loose strand of hair on the back of his head, letting out a frustrating huff. What was he even thinking? It had been many years since he lost the ability to shift, so he couldn't use his old tactics. A grin crossed his face for only a moment when he thought about how impressed his late wife had been with the way the sun's rays shimmered off his wings.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was late. Her heels clicked against the floor of the silent facility hall. She paused, noticing the usual familiar candlelight escaping under Seteth's office door was not there. Her mind raced with concern, what if those who went after Flayn came back for revenge? She set down the tray of food she had brought along with her and gripped the door handle, shaking it wildly. She glanced around, ready to brace her shoulder to force the door open. Holding her breath she lunged forward, but instead of busting the door open, she found herself caught in someones grasp. Her first instinct was to struggle, until she heard his familiar voice. 

"Byleth, what's going on?" Seteth held her steady, but letting her squirm out of his grasp when she panicked. 

This was embarrassing.

"I... thought they had come back." She looked around to make sure it wasn't a trap. "Why were you in here in the dark?" She looked up once she was satisfied they were alone, mostly relieved that he was alright. 

There was a noticeable pause. "I.. fell asleep. I must have been far more tired than I thought."

He was safe. Those few moments where she wasn't sure if he was okay was terrifying. Of course she wanted to make sure everyone was secure, the thought of something happening to him really unnerved her. She felt protective of him and Flayn, in a way that she did not feel with others. She didn't know what to make of it, and was too afraid to ask.

She glanced back to the hall. "Oh, I brought you some leftovers. I was surprised not to see you there, Flayn was as happy as the first time I caught her a fish."

"Do you mean the evening where we went fishing?" He asked. 

Byleth nodded and motioned for him to follow her to his desk, cleaning off an area where he could enjoy his meal. There was a massive blotch of ink on the top stack of papers. She smiled a bit, wondering exactly how exhausted he must have been to allow such a thing to happen.   
"Yes, that one. Now come eat before it gets cold."

Seteth followed her lead as he sat down, busying himself with his utensils as she set a fresh cup of water down for him. He suddenly was very quiet, an intense look cemented on his face as he stared at her. It was very hard to know what he was thinking at any given time.  
"What?" She asked bluntly. He simply looked away, trying a bite of his dinner. 

They sat in silence at he ate. Something about all this seemed far more awkward than it had before. 

He cleared his throat once he was finished, taking a sip from his water. 

Byleth couldn't handle the silence any longer and jumped to speak.

"Well if your-"  
"I must thank you for the-" 

They spoke over each other, both halting their thought to let the other finish. Byleth panicked, quickly standing up and heading towards the door.

"Sorry, I know you are tired-"

"What I was trying to say is, thank you for the wonderful dinner." He jumped up after her, she froze when he closed the gap between them. He was a lot faster than he looked.

"It was no problem." she glanced towards the empty tray. "I get to go back to my room tonight."

"You do?" Seteth seemed unusually surprised by that. "Oh well, I'll be moving back into my quarters.. Flayn will be staying with some of the other students for now. moving rooms every few nights, just as a precaution."

Byleth could only imagine the trouble Flayn was going to get up to, but she decided to spare Seteth by saying that out loud. She took a few steps back, leaving with a small wave. "I'll see you tomorrow?" She asked.

"Of course, I look forward to it. Have a good nights rest Miss Esiner." He smiled again.... and she could feel her face heating up. She got out of there as quickly as she could.  
\-----------------------------------------------------------

Seteth stood at the doorway, looking over at the couch and chair they had slept on every night for nearly a month while Flayn was missing. How lonely the previous night had been without her there. It had been incredibly uncomfortable sleeping in that chair, but he would sleep in it again in a heartbeat if it meant Byleth stayed.

His hand gripped the wood of the door tightly as the thought crossed his mind, before locking up his office for the night and quickly heading to his quarters. 

This was bad... this was very bad.

He rushed up the stairs, feeling as though there was noise crowding his thoughts. Fumbling with the key to unlock the door, he nearly fell forward as it clicked open.

He was in a haze of consciousness as he changed into his night clothes, every once in awhile he had to snap out of the fantasy of Byleth assisting him in disrobing.  
These thoughts were too much. Perhaps he was more sleep deprived than he knew, even with the nap.

Settling in for the evening in his bed, he found himself turning onto his side after only a few minutes attempting to fall asleep, staring at the empty space next to him.

His hand reached out, smoothing out the covers. Eyes slowly shutting from exhaustion, he imagined what it might be like to have her small warm body nestled up against him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been awhile! I had most of this chapter written out for a few months, but finally pushed at it tonight and finished it.
> 
> I really do appreciate all the comments and support, thank you fellow lettuce enthusiasts.

**Author's Note:**

> After reading so many wonderful Setleth fics, I wanted to help contribute to the cause. I'm not really much of a writer, but I do love storytelling. Thank you so much for taking the time to read the first chapter!


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